Elfangor's Son
by o0tyarah0o
Summary: "Dad?" Tobias asked softly. "What the- Dad, what are you doing?" I hid my face. No, no, this couldn't be happening! What was I supposed to do? How do you tell your 13-year-old son that his father is an alien? AU.
1. Ask

Elfangor's Son

"Elfangor!"

I looked up and smiled to see Loren, blond hair blowing slightly in the wind, run down the driveway, a wide smile on her beautiful face.

"Elfangor," she said breathlessly, taking my hands in hers. "You won't believe this!"

I smiled at her with my human mouth, feeling the unusual pull of my lips reveal my strangely white teeth. "After meeting you, Loren, I believe I could believe anything," I told her sincerely.

She returned the smile and touched my face. "You won't be angry?" she asked worriedly.

"Excuse me, angry about what?" I asked, confused.

She drew a deep breath and pressed against me, then pulled back and placed a delicate hand on her human stomach. "Elfangor, I just got back from the doctor," she elaborated. "He has confirmed a suspicion I've had for weeks. Elfangor, I'm…" she hesitated, squeezed my hand tightly. "I'm pregnant."

I blinked. "P-pregnant?" I repeated incredulously.

She nodded, pressing my hand against her cheek. "You're not angry, are you? I don't want to, but if you don't want this, I… I can get an abortion."

"A what? Oh," I said blankly. "Forgive me. I find myself with somewhat of a loss for words."

"Please, please, don't be angry," she requested softly. "I want this child. I want him to be happy. I want my baby." A mischievous grin spread across her face, then, "And mother's been after me about grandchildren for years. If she doesn't get a response soon, she may start pestering _you._"

I shuddered slightly at the thought. "Surely not," I said teasingly.

I put a hand on her face, feeling her answering smile. She laughed as she always did when I felt the strange need to do this. But her expression quickly returned to the anxious seriousness she had met me with. "Do you want this?" she asked, apprehension clear in her voice.

I hesitated, came to a decision. Pulling her close, I whispered into her ear, "Whatever you want, Loren, I want. And you want this child."

I didn't need to touch her face this time to know that she was smiling.


	2. Choose

8 months later

"Hey, Al, your wife's on the phone," Reggie Stapless called in a bored tone.

I frowned. Loren never called me at work. What could be wrong?

Could it be something to do with the baby?

That got me moving. Struggling to control my apprehension, I grabbed my office phone and said, "Hello?" in a less than steady voice.

"El- Alan, please come home," she whispered.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. Finally, through frozen lips I asked, "Loren, what's wrong? I'll be home in a minute, just what's wrong?"

"The… baby…" she gasped, and then I heard the phone drop.

I froze.

"Al?" Sherry Kuglin, a fellow worker asked, concerned. "Is something wrong?"

Somehow I managed to force the words past my trembling lips. "Sherry, I think Lor's in labour," I whispered.

Her eyes widened. "Reg, call an ambulance. And you, Alan, get your butt out of here and back to your wife," she ordered.

I nodded mutely, allowing the plump human woman to guide me to my car and sit me in the driver's seat.

"You gonna be able to drive?" she asked me worriedly. I nodded again. She frowned. "Maybe I should come with you."

I quickly shook my head. The primitive human doctors had assured us that our baby would be fine, but I couldn't take any chances. If our child bore the slightest resemblance to me in Andalite form, however unlikely that prospect was, and a human controller witnessed the birth of such a being, we would all be dead. Or worse- controlled.

Shortly after I had made my choice to live on Earth, I had discovered the secret underground Yeerk pool that lay directly beneath our city. Where I had once thought Loren and I safe from the influence of alien beings was now the most dangerous place one could find oneself. But Loren had insisted that we stay, at least until the baby was born. Then we could flee to the other side of the world if we had to, or the other side of the galaxy, if that was what it took to escape the Yeerks.

"I'll be fine," I managed, revving up the car. "Don't worry."

She forced a smile. "Don't you ever say that, Alan Fangor. 'Cause when you do, we usually end up in trouble."

I made a weak attempt to return the smile. 3 years among humans, and I still had to tell myself to do something as simple as smiling. At work, they called me 'The Judge' because of how expressionless my face was.

She shook her head in fond exasperation. "Go on, get outta here. I've got more important things to do than watch you try to be all encouraging."

As I began to place my foot on the gas pedal, she turned to me and, almost as an afterthought, said, "Whatcha gonna name the baby?"

"Tobias!" The name flew unbidden from my mouth. I frowned. When had I decided on that particular human name?

There was a word that was quite similar in the Andalite language. 'Tb'ace', meaning 'my chosen', or 'my choice', depending on which context it was used in. In this case it would be 'my choice'. My choice to allow this child into my hectic world of aliens and war. My choice to give life to this child.

My son.

The thought ate away at the back of my mind all the way to my home.

o0o0o0o

The primitive human elevator seemed to take forever.

"Doesn't this thing go any faster?" I muttered impatiently. Some strange-looking teenager– even by human standards— rolled his eyes at me. Another, older, man gave me a sympathetic look.

"Hurry, hurry," I encouraged silently.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the elevator reached the correct floor. I practically ran down the hallway.

After I had taken Loren to the hospital, she had lain on the bed in the revealing hospital clothing, pain twisting her lovely face. I had sat beside her, holding her hand tightly for two hours, whispering encouraging words to her. It was a totally human gesture, yet it caused me some comfort.

One of the nurses had come along, and finally told me to get some rest. I had resisted, but she told me that it wasn't likely to happen until late tomorrow, the way things were going. Loren had finally convinced me to return home, where I instantly ran to the living room and collapsed face-down on the couch.

I lay there for a few moments, then, unable to stay sill for any longer, I jerked up and started pacing around the room, nervous, anxious, apprehensive, one human heart thundering so loudly I thought it could burst from my frail chest at any time. Would it be a healthy birth? Would I be a good father? Would I be able to do this?

All these thoughts ran frantically through my head until the phone rang, causing me to half-jump out of my skin.

"Mr. Fangor? It's time."

I drove at high speed down the freeway to the hospital, not caring that I might get a ticket. The speed, as usual, was exhilarating, but my mind was so far from such pleasures I did not even notice.

I raced up the steps into the hospital, the elevator, the emergency room, all the way to Loren, who lay in the bed, screaming in pain.

"Loren!" I gasped, automatically moving toward her. Only the nurses managed to hold me back from my wife.

"She's fine, she's fine, sshhhhh, it's okay," one of them murmured soothingly. "Relax, it's gonna be okay."

I fell back, struggling to control my rapid breathing. "Yes. Yes, it's okay," I repeated slowly. "She's fine."

The nurse smiled. "That's right."

It was the worse thing, listening to Loren scream like that, waiting for something, anything to happen, and not being able to do anything. I wondered if any human father-to-be had died from heart failure by doing this. With just one heart, it was entirely possible. I was beginning to think such a fate be mine if I waited any longer.

And then it happened.

Loren gave a final scream, and suddenly, one of the nurses was moving forward and reaching, and my hands began to tremble as she pulled out a small form, covered in blood and mucus, and wailing insufferably.

I moved forward slowly, numb from shock. The nurse smiled and handed the wriggling, helpless-looking naked baby to me.

I took him in my arms, unsure of how to hold him. Up to this point, I had never touched a human baby. The nurse gently arranged my arms to the correct pose. I stood, exactly like that, frozen, staring at the helpless baby in my arms.

_He looks so much like Loren,_ I thought.

And he did. The same bright brown eyes, the same thick, unruly blond hair, the same cute, flattish nose.

He was beautiful.

"T-Tobias," I choked out. "Tobias David."

Loren and I had agreed on the name. Tobias was my choice, and David was hers, named after her deceased father.

I stared into the baby's eyes, so happy, so proud I thought I was going to burst. _My baby,_ I thought._ My Tobias._

Loren was smiling up at me, and suddenly she reached out for her child. Without saying a word, I responded to her silent request and gently handed her the baby.

My baby. Our baby.

My son. Our son.

My choice.


	3. Answer

4 years later

"Mr. Fangor, Mrs. Fangor, please sit down," the dark-haired human female greeted. Warily, I sat down in a plush seat next to Loren, facing the woman who busied herself behind the large wooden desk that separated us.

"I'm Katilynn Mariss, and I feel the need to speak to you about things concerning your son Tobias," she said. I resisted the impulse to tell her to get to the point. We already knew who she was. Of course we knew! She was the owner of the human child center Sunshine Daycare, where Loren and I had chosen to send Tobias during the day.

"Is he hurt?" Loren asked instantly.

Mariss smiled. "No, no, Ms. Fangor. Tobias is perfectly fine. It is not his physical health that is the problem." She paused. "I'm concerned that Tobias has no friends," she blurted finally.

Loren and I shared a look. We had known how desperately shy our son was, of course, hiding between his mother's legs when meeting someone new, or speaking in a barely audible voice to his grandmother and cousins when he was forced to be with them, but that it had followed him all the way to daycare, where children spoke to and played with each other constantly… There was no way this could go on.

Loren answered for us. "Tobias is a very shy boy, Miss Mariss, and prone to silence most of the time. He is very deep," she finished, as an afterthought.

Mariss nodded. "He always asks such serious questions in class, when he can find the courage to speak up, and his pictures… quite frankly, your son could definitely become an artist in later years. But as a four-year-old boy among boisterous, rowdy children… I don't know how he will survive his elementary and middle school years if he does not learn how to make friends.

"We'll work on it," I assured her. "There is no need to worry."

She smiled faintly. "I know, Mr. Fangor. I know. But if only you could see him in class. He spends most of the time sitting in a corner, drawing or even reading. He is such a bright little boy, sometimes I wonder if he really belongs in a daycare."

I caught my breath, wondering if the woman knew how amazingly perceptive she had just proven herself.

Loren stood up. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Mariss. Please let us know if there are any improvements," she said, motioning me to follow.

Outside the office, Loren turned to me. "What are we going to do?" she asked, frustrated. "We _know_ Tobias is smarter than average. We _know_ he's deep. And we _know_ how such a child could attract bullies like a magnet." She caught my hand in her own. "But what can we do about it? We can't just go to him and say, 'Tobias, you need to make some friends soon, or else someone is going to suspect you're different, and stick a slimy, filthy Yeerk in your ear to make things better.' He's four years old, for God's sake! Sure, he could understand, but we can't draw him into this danger. If someone ever found out…" She squeezed my hand tightly. "Oh, Elfangor, what are we going to do?"

I returned the pressure slightly. "I don't think things are quite that serious, Loren," I replied. "We still have time. We can move away from this city to live with your sister, like we planned to do to begin with. Or we can stay here. They can't force him into The Sharing," I said, referring to the secret program that lured humans into the Yeerk pool. "Tobias will not be drawn into this. Our son will be kept safe. That I swear."

I placed a gentle hand on her face to touch weak smile. In the years since we had had Tobias, I still hadn't quite shaken that strange habit of feeling her smile.

She laughed, then sighed, pulling away abruptly. "Well, I guess we better go get him. He's probably wondering where we are." She looked at her watch. "My God, we're almost ten minutes late!"

She grabbed my hand and pulled me down several flights of stairs to the daycare room, where our son sat behind a pile of blocks, calmly drawing with various differently coloured crayons.

He looked up as Loren and I neared him. "Mommy?" His beautiful brown eyes brightened as he saw me. "Dad! What are you doing here?" he said wonderingly.

I smiled and picked him up. "Oh, I just wanted to see my boy Tobias. Would you happen to know where he is, kind sir?"

Tobias giggled. "I'm right here, Dad!"

I waggled my human eyebrows at him, a trick I had picked up a few days ago. "Is that so? My, you must have grown a foot since I last saw you!"

A wide, familiar smile spread across his face, and impulsively, I reached to touch it. He laughed.

"Whatcha doin' that for, Dad?" he asked.

I grinned. "I just wanted to see if my son's smile was still the same."

Tobias pulled back his lips with both hands. "See? Still the same," he reassured me.

I put him back on the ground lightly and reached for the colourful piece of paper he had been drawing on. "Well, that's good. Say, what's this?" I asked.

He pulled the paper from my grasp. "See," he said, pointing. "That's me, and that's you, and that's Mommy, only I had to draw her really tiny because there was no room left on the paper."

"And what's that?" I asked, indicating one unfamiliar shape in the picture.

He frowned and turned the page over. Then he grinned. "Oh, that's a birdie. A… a…" He looked to Loren for guidance. "What's that birdie we seen lasterday called again? A… r... red…"

"A red-tailed hawk?" Loren suggested distractedly.

Tobias's grin grew wider, if possible. "Yeah! That's a red-tailed hawk," he informed me proudly.

"It's a great drawing, Tobias," I said. "Would you like to put it on the fridge when we get home?"

His eyes widened. "Could we? Really, Dad?"

I took his small hand in mine. "Of course we could. Come on, I'll show you how."

o0o0o0o

The thunder crashed through the house, almost shaking it. Pictures trembled on the walls, flashing irregularly as lighting danced in the sky, illuminating the walls eerily. The storm raged on through the night.

A whimper of fear caught my sensitive human ears, then, as I lay in bed beside Loren, one hand gently caressing her sleeping face. Slowly, as not to wake her, I pulled myself from the bed and sleepily stood, stretching in the darkness of the room.

The frightened sound echoed in my ears as I hurried to Tobias's bedroom. He was in bed, tears slipping down his small cheeks, hugging the stuffed cat Loren had made for him.

I reached the bed and took him in my arms, soothing his terrified cries. "Sshhhhh, Tobias, it's okay, it's okay, shhh…" I whispered gently.

In response he clung to me, burrowing his face into my chest. "Dad, make it stop," he pleaded, with all the innocence of a four-year-old child. "Make it stop!"

I hugged him tightly to me, for the first time realizing how far I had come in raising such a human child, and how far I had to go. Eight years ago, I would have never thought to find myself here, on Earth, comforting the small human child that was my son. Eight years ago, I wouldn't have known how.

Did doing this make me human? Did I want to be human?

Yes, to the first question. I was almost positive of that answer. By wanting to be here, by wanting to make his fears go away, that made me human.

And in that answer lay the answer to my second question.

If that was what it took to be human, then yes, that was what I wanted.

I still had far to go. As a father, as a husband, as a human being. The second step was to realize my weaknesses, to understand that I couldn't make the rain go away and had to comfort Tobias with instead my words and my actions. To find the inward strength to tell him that. To shed the old Andalite arrogance that was the heritage of my people.

Could I do that? Could I at last become fully human?

The answer was yes. For Tobias, for Loren, it had to be.


	4. Struck

**Thank you everyone for reviewing! Ember Nickel, in response to your question regarding Tobias's second name, I was thinking of the story of David and Goliath when I chose that name. You know, the little boy who overcomes the great giant? This chapter talks a little about Tobias's 'giant'.**

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday afternoon.

A day of countless human traditions.

Fancy dinners. Television. Sleep. Sports. Sleep.

Shopping.

This was one thing I couldn't understand about Loren: why, on a day that you could do almost anything humanly possible, would you spend it spending circular metallic disks with a picture of an elderly woman on one side? [A/N: Sorry, I forget what American money looks like, except that there's this little thingy on one side of a penny (I think?) that has a bunch of beams on it, and I'm too lazy to look it up. I'm not much of a culture freak. On Canadian coins, we have a picture of the Queen. :P] Was this normal for human beings?

I, for one, passionately disliked shopping. I found it a pointless exercise, to walk through a seemingly endless 'mall' with lights flashing at you and people brushing past, invading your personal space, simply to either look at unnecessary objects or worse: purchase them. 'Malls' were some of my least-favourite places to be. Such claustrophobic environments…

Loren, of course, just laughed and told me that my thinking was no different from every other human make in existence. At least that was a relief.

"Come on, Elfan- er, Alan!" she laughed, dragging me along, piling boxes on top of boxes in my arms. At times like theses I wished for my Andalite body. At least then I could see where I was going.

Loren was holding Tobias's hand tightly, as not to lose him. That was one of my deepest fears. He was so small; what if he got lost, or was captured by a human controller? That was what was happening to many human runaways in this city who simply disappeared.

I would never let that happen to my son. Never.

Tobias was looking at me with a pained look on his face. "Dad, can we go home, now?" he asked desperately.

I sighed and placed a hand on his small shoulder. "Not until Mommy says so, okay?"

Tobias turned to Loren. "Mommy, please let us go home! Please?" he begged. Loren grinned.

"Not yet, Toby. But soon," she promised him as well as me. "I'm almost done."

"Let us hope so," I muttered.

She smirked. "Oh, come, come, Al. What could you possibly have against _shopping_?"

As I opened my mouth to speak, Tobias piped up, interrupting me. "There's too many people, Mommy," he said seriously. "They all crowd around me. I think I'm gonna run out of air!" He put both hands on his throat, pretending to choke.

"Toby, stop that!" Loren snapped. "That's not funny."

I put a calming hand on her arm and knelt down so that I was eye to eye with Tobias. "Tobias, are you frightened by small spaces?" I asked, realization dawning in my mind.

He nodded, sensing a way out. "Yeah. I'm gonna run out of air." he repeated solemnly.

"Loren," I said, turning to my wife. "I believe our son has picked up a case of classic claustrophobia."

Her eyes widened. "So then he does have some traits of your…" she looked around, wary. "…your Andalite form?" she asked incredulously.

I shook my head. "Not necessarily. It may just be coincidence."

"I don't believe in coincidence," she muttered firmly.

Tobias was tugging at my pant leg. "Dad! Hey, Dad, what's clau… claus…"

"Claustrophobia," I said, enunciating precisely, "is a fear of small, tight spaces."

Tobias's expression brightened in understanding. "Then I have gloss-dro-fob-ya!" he pronounced.

I nodded in agreement. "Perhaps you do."

He turned to Loren. "Mommy, I have gloss-dro-fob-ya. Can we go now?" he asked.

She smiled in exasperation. "Are you telling me that I have two claustrophobic anti-shopping male on my hands, now?"

Tobias frowned, not understanding. "Uhm… yeah," he said, side-whispering to me, "Dad, are you a gloss-dro-fob-ik anti-shopping male?"

I burst out laughing; a thing which Loren believes is rare for me.

Loren gave me an odd look, then, coming to a decision, sighed

longingly and said, "Come on, you two, let's get out of here."

o0o0o0o

Had I known what would happen on the car trip home, I would have insisted that we stay in that stuffy, crowded human mall.

No one can tell the future.

I was driving. Of course I was driving. It was the one other thing besides to Loren and Tobias that made being human bearable. I loved driving.

Except for this time. The last time.

I was driving down the road to our home with Loren sitting directly beside me, to the right, and Tobias in his primitive human car seat in the back. Such a device offered about as much protection as the seatbelts did, which was next to nothing.

Perhaps if I had been in my Andalite form at the time, I would have been able to see the deer dash out front of us in time to stop the car without causing any damage. But I was human, mind and body, and I did not.

Suddenly, the deer was there, in front of me, and I swerved as fast as my slow human reactions would allow. Unfortunately, it was either too fast or too slow.

We crashed in to the street light beside us, right side first.

No. _I_ crashed us into it.

My fault.

All mine.

Because we swerved to the right, Loren was hit. In the head, specifically. Her long, beautiful, wispy blond hair was caught in the open car window, ripped, torn from her head as her elbow touched the button to close it. The glass shattered, flying everywhere, cutting her lovely, lovely face. Mine, as well, but I did not notice. I was too busy screaming as her head made contact with the street light.

Tobias was screaming too. "Mommy!! Dad, no! No, Mommy, get away! Get away!" Tears slid freely down his face.

I, myself, was far too frightened, too shocked to cry. "Loren!" I screamed. "Loren, wake up!"

The car was utterly motionless, now, as was Loren, her broken body splayed uselessly across the seat.

"Loren," I whispered, frozen.

I stayed exactly like that, one hand tightly gripping Loren's hand, until the paramedics arrived and carefully extracted my hand from hers. Sherry was there, too, and she managed to drag me into the front seat of her car and buckle both Tobias and I up. Tobias was still screaming, still crying, and Sherry asked if it was okay for her to take him to her house for a while. I guess I said yes, because the next thing I knew I was in my house, alone, lying on my side of the bed, my face pressed hard into the pillow.

Loren's side was empty.

I don't know when the first tears started. I had never cried before, not in this human body, but I did so now, first simple choked tears, then outright sobs, my whole body shaking. "Loren," I whispered brokenly. "Loren, please be all right. Please, please, please, please, please…"


	5. Search

Utter desolation. Loren was gone, was not here, was gone, gone, gone…

I don't know how long I stayed in bed like that. I missed work for a few days, but Sherry was very good to me with that. I visited Loren a couple of times, but the image her scarred and bleeding face brought to my mind was not pleasant. She had been unconscious for days, now. Would she ever wake up?

How could I have allowed myself to come so close to such a fragile human being?

If we had been on the Andalite homeworld, the doctors would have given her the morphing technology and be done with it. How I wished I could do so now! But I did not have the life-offering cube here.

Tobias had stayed the night at Sherry's, but had absolutely refused to go to daycare the next day. Exasperated and sympathetic, Sherry had returned him to me. Tobias had always been a very sensitive boy, and did not disturb me, until later that day.

"Dad?" he whispered. "Dad? Is Mommy gonna be okay?"

I stared into his brown eyes, so much like Loren's, and found that I could not respond. How could I lie? How could I tell my son that I did not know, that Dad did not know everything?

I gently picked Tobias up and set him in my lap, closing my arms around him and slowly rocking him back and forth, knowing that I needed this almost as much as my four-year-old child did.

Two weeks later, Loren woke up, and the doctors were able to give a diagnosis.

She was blind. Permanently.

The other result of my crash I found out on my own.

As soon as the news of her awakening reached my ears, I dashed to the hospital, wanting to hold her in my arms. Tobias came, too.

I hesitated before entering her room, suddenly frightened; of what, I could not be sure. Finally I opened the door and walked in.

She was lying on the bed as she had for the past two weeks, but her eyes were open, unblinking, unseeing. Carefully, I knelt beside her and took her hand in mine. She started.

"Loren, shhh, it's okay. It's just me, Loren. Al. Elfangor," I whispered.

She didn't respond.

"Loren?" I asked.

"Al-fan-gor…" she murmured softly, as if I weren't there. "My… husband?" A question.

The doctor with me nodded encouragingly. "Yes, that's it, Loren. This man is your husband."

A slight blush crept up her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I-" her soft, somehow childish voice trailed off uncertainly.

My heart was in my throat. "Loren! It's me, El- Al! Please, don't you remember me?" I asked desperately. Roughly, I took her face in my hands and stared into her blue eyes. The scars around them by now had healed, but her sightlessness was painfully obvious.

"I'm sorry," She shrank back, frightened, whispering in that same, child-like voice. "I'm… trying to remember, but I can't!" Her eyes closed. "Please, I'm trying."

A nurse came in, smiling, and saying softly, "It's time for your meds, Mrs. Fangor."

"Doctor, what's wrong with her?" I demanded as my wife, my love, my life was wheeled away by a complete stranger, not allowing myself to think that, to Loren, I was the same as her, unknown, distant.

The doctor, whose name I had long since forgotten, shook his head. "Total amnesia, Mr. Fangor. I'm sorry, I should have told you earlier," he said apologetically.

"Sorry!" I exclaimed. Taking a deep breath as to calm my raging- human- emotions, I said in a much calmer voice, "Will her memory return, Doctor?"

He again shook his head, sadness in his eyes. "No, Mr. Fangor," he said gently. "It will not."

My heart stopped beating, then. A pain I did not know I was capable of welled up in me, threatening to engulf me. What if I had truly lost Loren, not to the Yeerks as I had feared, but to this simple, stupid, pointless injury? An injury that could so easily be treated on the Andalite homeworld…

I forced myself to the white room around me. "Can I… can I take her home soon?" I asked hoarsely.

He hesitated. "She should be kept here for further treatment. She hit the back of her head awful hard; that's what caused the blindness. I'm thinking that you will want some specialists to help take care of her for awhile, but she should be ready soon. Yes, I think that will be all right. One more week here wouldn't hurt, though."

I nodded numbly. "Of course. I shall be here to pick her up, then. One week. Got it."

The doctor leaned closer. "I know this must be very hard on you, Mr. Fangor, but I must ask that you not act too familiar around her, and not try to prompt memories that can not be recalled. It can only hurt her, and I know you don't want that. You'll need to let her get to know you again, to trust you. So far, the only thing she has right now is Nurse Tamara."

I nodded again, helplessly. What else could I do?

He smiled. "All right, then, now that that's settled, would you like for Tobias to see her?"

"Tobias!" I said, having forgotten all about him. "Of course, please bring him in."

The four-year-old human child was practically bouncing with a twisted sort of excitement. "Can I see Mommy now?" he asked, tugging at one of the nurse's uniform. She smiled at him, pained, and carefully took him to me.

"Dad! Have you seen Mommy?" he asked, his all-too-familiar brown eyes wide with concern.

I hesitated, unsure that this was a wise decision. Loren, lovely Loren, looked awful, her hair almost completely gone, what was left of it growing in limp, weak strands, or random clumps of torn hair. Her face, while not as bruised as it had been before, still held the scars of the accident. And her eyes… How would Tobias react to a mother who couldn't see him?

How would he react to a mother who couldn't remember him?

It was too late now; they were bringing Loren in. But I truly hoped that, for his sake, she would not react too strangely to her only son, whom she had totally and irreversibly forgotten.

"Mommy!" Tobias cried, running up to her and trying to hug her, though he was far too short to see over the tall hospital bed.

Loren looked confused for a moment, then, hesitantly: "Toby?"

I whirled to the doctor, about to demand an explanation, but he quickly raised a hand and mouthed, "We told her that she had a son, named Tobias, and you have mentioned her calling him 'Toby' in the past.

I nodded, somehow disappointed. I had hoped… But, no. The doctor had said as much.

Tobias was positively beaming. "Mommy, you're all better," he declared, satisfied.

Loren gave a hesitant smile. "Almost, Toby," she said quietly. I could almost see her struggling to envision the tow-headed little boy before her.

Stricken, I realized that she would never see her son again, that she couldn't even see him in her memories. She would never watch him grow, never see his smiling eyes when he graduated, never remember how he had utterly vanquished our television set after he had accidentally witnessed an unnecessary violent parody of Elmo…

And me? She would never remember me, how I looked in Andalite form, our adventures in space. If I told her again, she would see it as a cruel trick to her handicapped state.

On the Andalite homeworld, the disabled, or _vecols, _were hidden from the eyes of normal society, as not to shame them. How would she feel, out in the open, totally blind and helpless, unable to remember what a simple streetlight looked like, totally dependant when she had been the most self-sufficient of women. What would that do to her? Would humans treat her as Andalites treated the differently abled?

"Mommy, you're coming home with us," Tobias told her sternly. "And then you won't have to eat the yucky ho-pi-al food. It's gross, I know, remember when I was really sick, Mommy, and I had to come to the ho-pi-al and have all those doctors and stuff? Mommy, remember?"

Something in her face stiffened. "I… no, Tobias, I don't. Would you mind telling me?"

He frowned. "You sound, funny, Mommy. Why don't you remember? You remember everything!" he stressed.

Seeing that it was time for a subtle intervention, I took Tobias's hand firmly and guided him to the exit. "Tobias, I think it's time to go. Mommy's getting a little tired."

"But Mommy-" he protested loudly, receiving several stares from the staff.

"Let's _go_, Tobias," I said quietly.

Hopelessly confused, _my_ son followed me out the exit.

o0o0o0o

On the drive home, Tobias was mostly silent, still not understanding the incident at the hospital. At length, he asked, "Dad, what's wrong with Mommy?"

My throat tightened. "Mommy's still a little hurt," I managed.

He frowned. "But she'll be better soon, right? Right, Dad?"

"I don't know, Tobias," I admitted quietly. "I don't know.

His eyes bulged. "But don't you know everything, Dad?"

I stared out the window, for a time, automatically slowing the car down. The old Andalite pride was still there, telling me not to give such a question the dignity of a response. But the human mind was screaming, No! I don't know everything! Loren's hurt, and it's my fault, okay! My fault!

I swallowed. "Tobias… right now, I don't even know the answer to that.

He was quiet for a time, and then, "Dad?"

"Yes, Tobias?"

"Does Mommy remember us?"

My chest tightened to an indistinguishable ball. How to answer that question? Loren must remember, she must!

"No, Tobias," I whispered. "No, Mommy does not remember us."

Tobias was silent the rest of the way home.


	6. Truth

**Okay, before you eat me up, yes, it's been forever since I last updated. I would like to tell you a secret: I am still in school, which I have to attend EVERYDAY**.** I started this story during Spring Break, and now I'm in school again, as well as way too many extracurricular activities, including piano, basketball, quizzing, drama, youth, charity team, and band. Just so you know. Anyway, thanks for all the wonderful reviews!**

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One week later

I stood out side of Loren's room in the hospital, my nervousness showing in every line of my human face. I pulled at my shirt unconsciously, for one glad of the confining clothing human beings wore. It gave me a distraction.

I had visited Loren every moment of my spare time, desperate to help her remember. A useless effort, of course; the doctor had told me that she would never remember. All I could do was create new memories with her. But was she even the same Loren I had come to love, who had come to love me? Was this Loren capable of caring for a strange, out of place alien Andalite? Could she… ever love me again?

I had decided to keep the secret of my heritage from her for now and perhaps for the next few years. Perhaps I would never tell her. But if I didn't, how would I know that she really loved me?

Tobias was running up and down the corridor, almost bouncing off the walls. Mommy was coming home at last, and he was so excited I was almost worried about him.

"Go in, Dad!" he encouraged. "Come on, go in, go in!"

I drew a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"One minute, please."

Loren, speaking in that strange, child-like voice that she had acquired after the accident. So soft, like a breath of air falling from her lips. Her voice, yet subtly altered to that of a child's. In fact, she was a child. She remembered little, and had to be taught many things. She piled Nurse Tamara with countless questions, though she was inexplicitly shy around me. My wife had yet to gain the courage to turn to her husband for help.

I couldn't blame her.

"Loren?" I asked.

She came to the door. In the past week, I had had plenty of time to look her over. There were injuries I had missed. She had lost her right ear, and a long, jagged scar twisted its way down her beautiful face. Others might say that her face was ruined, now, but I couldn't find it anything but beautiful.

Loren frowned as she opened the door, trying to recognize the voice that greeted her. "Al?" she guessed.

I nodded. Remembered she couldn't see me. Froze. "Yes, Loren, it's me. Are you ready to go home, now?"

"Home?" she repeated. "Where is home?"

I took her hand in mine, smiling at Nurse Tamara who had accompanied her to the door. "Come with me," I said. "I'll show you."

She grasped my hand tightly, more for support than anything else. The humans had an animal called "Guide Dog" trained specifically for the blind like her. It was an effective- if primitive- solution for the ocular-damaged people. I would have to see about getting one for Loren.

"Good-bye, Cara," she said to Nurse Tamara. "I'll miss you."

Tamara smiled and touched Loren's shoulder. "And I, you, Loren. May you find happiness."

Loren's face was blank, as it usually was, but she managed to transmit her regard for Nurse Tamara with her sightless eyes. I felt my throat constrict tightly. Could she look at me like that, look at her son like that ever again?

"Come, Loren," I said softly. "Let's go home."

o0o0o0o

Knock! Knock!

My eyes opened. For a moment, I panicked. What if it all was just a dream? What if Loren was still back in the hospital, being treated by primitive human doctors? What if…

"Loren?" I asked softly into the darkness.

A sigh, and my wife rolled over to face me. She had been uncomfortable sleeping in the same bed as a stranger, but the only other place in the house was the couch, and I wanted to be able to keep an eye on her in case she needed me. She looked utterly serene, now, her eyes closed peacefully and her scarred face relaxed in blissful youth. I traced a gentle hand across her hair. Her appearance now reminded me of another time, another Loren, a mere fourteen-year-old human teenager facing the danger of space with an alien at her side, fearless.

Knock! Knock!

I sighed and got out of bed, bracing myself against the cold blast of air that breezed through my furless skin. Who could be at the door at this time of night?

My eyes wandered to the digital clock at the side of the bed. Oh. It was 6:00 am, Earth time.

I walked sleepily to the door, unmindful of the fact that I was only in my pajamas. Whoever was there couldn't really expect me to be wearing anything else on a Saturday morning, could they?

Groggily, I unlocked the door and came face to face with my neighbour and co-worker, Kevin King.

"Mr. King?" I asked incredulously.

He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry to bother at this time of the morning, Mr. Fangor," he said, "but we need your help urgently at the office. One of the computers has exploded, and if we don't get it fixed by tomorrow, we will have wasted millions of dollars on absolutely nothing. Boss wants you to help fix it."

I hesitated. "Loren…"

His sharp eyes softened slightly. "I have a sitter with Erek right now," he said, referring to his own five-year-old son. "If you want, you can leave Loren and Tobias with her. She's working on her M.D. right now, and believe me, she can handle any emergency."

I smiled with gratitude. "Thank you very much, Mr. King. I'll go tell her."

o0o0o0o

Fixing the computer was incredibly easy, though I couldn't tell anyone that, of course. A month ago, I would have returned home, griping about the primitive human computers to Loren. She would have smiled, laughed, said, "Oh, come on, Elfangor, go easy on us humans. We're learning."

Now, there was no one to complain to. For the first time since I landed on Earth, I felt wholly, truly alone.

Tobias was waiting when Mr. King and I arrived at his house, tearing through the yard with Erek King. It was the first time I had ever seen him play with anyone else, and I wished desperately that Loren could understand the significance of this. But she was inside, staring at the TV, and with her amnesia would never be able to see and appreciate this precious moment as I could.

"Dad!" Tobias exclaimed, his brown eyes dancing with typical excitement. "See, Dad, this is Erek!"

I smiled at him, picking him up without him having to ask. "Yes, Tobias, I see. Is he your friend?"

"What's a friend, Dad?"

For a moment, I couldn't speak. What kind of father was I, that my son did not know what a friend was? Was I holding on to him too tightly?

"Dad?"

"A friend is someone you care about, someone you like to play with, someone you enjoy talking to. A friend is someone who is there for you when you are hurt, as you are there for them."

His beautiful face scrunched up as he assimilated this new information. "Erek is my friend," he announced. Then he looked at me in the eyes and asked, "Dad, is Loren your friend?"

My breath caught in my throat. Why had he called her that?

At my expression, he answered my unasked question. "There is Loren, and there is Mommy. Loren is too quiet and too sad. She doesn't remember me or you. She doesn't do anything, and sometimes she doesn't even talk to me. Mommy is happy and plays with me. She teases you and loves us. She picks me up and takes us shopping. Mommy isn't Loren. Mommy is dead."

I began to tremble uncontrollably. "Tobias, Mommy is not dead. She is alive; she's just different. She was hurt in the accident. Remember the accident, Tobias? No, you don't, because you're just a human child who thinks that he is the center of the universe. Well, you're not!" I heard my voice rise, didn't care. "Loren is somewhere in that shell. She doesn't remember me, and the shell doesn't care! I need her to remember, Tobias! Please…!"

I collapsed to the ground, unseeing, uncaring that everyone had heard me. Because Tobias was right, and I was a fool.

The woman staring at the TV on the couch wasn't Loren. Loren was dead. And even I knew that the dead do not come back to life.


	7. Feel

9 years later

_Tobias POV_

"Hey, Tobias!"

I looked up and grinned. Erek was running over from his house to mine, his murky brown eyes bright and a smile wide across his face. Happiness radiated around him. That was the thing about Erek. He was always happy. I can't remember ever seeing him angry or sad.

"Erek," I greeted. "What did you do this time?"

His eyes widened with mock innocence. "Why do you automatically assume I'm up to something? I can be good, sometimes," he pouted.

"Sure," I replied, rolling my eyes. "_Some_times."

"Most of the time," he argued.

"Tell that to Mr. Tidwell."

"Mr. Tidwell should go and jump down a well."

"Erek, rhyming?" I asked, grinning. "Erek Seuss. Has a certain ring to it, don't you think?"

He made a face. "Lourdes is staying over," he said, referring to his homeless older cousin. "She won't watch anything but soap operas. I can't stand it!"

"Erek, do you ever do anything besides watch TV?" I had been to Erek's house so many times over the years I knew it like my own. The TV in that house was _always_ on.

He shook his head, allowing his somewhat longer brown hair to pass over his scalp. "Do you ever do anything but play video games?" he retorted.

I had to think about that, and that annoyed me. "I go to school," I offered lamely.

He laughed. "Sure you do."

"Fine, be that way. What do _you_ do, Dr. Seuss?"

His face darkened. "I go to the Sharing."

"Oh, yeah, that stupid program you're in. Won't your dad ever let up?"

"No." He sighed mournfully. "Still making me go to the Sharing."

"I still don't see why you won't let me go with you. Seriously, why suffer alone?"

"Because I'm stubborn," he said firmly.

"I don't doubt it."

His eyes rolled heavenward. "Look, it's a Saturday afternoon, the sun is shining-"

"Erek, we live in California. The sun is always shining."

"-and you are being incredibly annoying. It's a nice day. Why don't we waste it and head to the arcade in the mall, watching bright lights flash on the screen before us and stuff our faces with junk food?"

"Sounds like a plan," I said, fighting off the shivers that accompanied any thought of the stupid friggin mall. That close, claustrophobic place scared the pee out of me.

o0o0o0o

The other ship came sailing past on the screen, preparing to fire. I tried to turn, but the left engine had collapsed. The ship loaded its weapons…

TSSSEEEEEEWWWW!!

"Darn it," I muttered as my ship blew to pieces.

Erek laughed. "I don't understand why you like such violent games," he said for perhaps the hundredth time. "You always die."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Better here than in real life. I'm just practicing."

"Ah, yes, Tobias, your fate shall be caused by big-headed aliens in a spaceship the size of Manhattan. I always knew you were noble."

"You better believe it," I grinned.

Erek opened his mouth to retort, when suddenly, his eyes widened.

"What is it?"

"Look," he whispered. "It's that kid, Jake."

I turned. Sure enough, the monster of a kid from math class was standing beside a console, laughing at some joke a Hispanic kid about Erek's size made.

"They make a rather odd combination," I whispered back.

Erek nodded silently.

It was no secret that shorter-than-average Erek was terrified of Jake. Who could blame him? Like I already said, the kid was a monster. Huge. Godzilla in human form.

The funny thing was, when you looked at Erek, and looked at Jake, something in your mind decided they were about the same height. Erek was short, but somehow he managed to look taller. And Jake's shoulders were hunched in, like he spent his entire life trying to stay out of the picture.

He sure did it well enough. Unlike Erek, there was no way I could pick Jake out of a crowd.

Whereas Erek managed to stand out wherever he went. Not in a bad way, like I did, but the way that everybody seemed to like him. He was always the center of attention, always playful, always happy. Even when he made a total idiot out of himself it was impossible not to like him. That was just the way Erek was.

In a way, it was torture for me to have a guy like Erek as my best friend. When people see Erek, and then see me, they automatically assume that I'm some great conversationalist. Which I'm not. And they assume that I'm fun and playful and expressive. Also which I am not. Living in a house where no one smiles and no one laughs and no one cries will do that to you.

Loren doesn't do anything, really. She is so unexpressive that you would think she was born blind. In a way, she was, since she can't remember anything but blindness. And Dad has never been that expressive either. Sometimes, when I concentrate really hard, I can remember him smiling, before the accident. But even in that special time of my life, he has never laughed in my memory.

Loren. I frowned, just thinking of her. The woman who claimed to be my mother.

I wasn't quite sure why I called her by her first name all the time. Once, I tried calling her 'Mom', but the name just wouldn't stick. 'Loren' was the only thing that seemed to work for that sad-looking creature on my couch.

Oh, she was caring enough, but that was just to her dog Champ, or to little kids on the sidewalk, or homeless people in the park. She never seemed to care about Dad and me, even though we lived in the same house as her. She was always so… distant.

"Tobias?" Erek asked.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. "Yeah?"

He frowned. "Nothing. Just wanted you to know that when you zone out like that, it scares the crap out of me."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

His face brightened. "Hey, want to go talk to Rachel?" he asked. "I saw her when we passed Bootlegger."

My face flushed. Rachel was probably the most gorgeous girl I had ever met, but I could never seem to talk to her. Heck, I had never talked to her. And it wasn't just shyness, for once. For some reason, she reminded me of my… of Loren.

"No," I replied, sure now that my fair-skinned face was now an awkward shade of red.

He grinned. "Fine, fine," he relented, checking his watch. "Dude, it's already 7:30!"

I grimaced. "Dad is going to kill me," I pronounced slowly.

Erek looked smug. "Yep," he said.

I resisted the impulse to roll my eyes at him. Erek's dad let him get away with almost anything. Oh, sure, when I was there, he put on this awkward little punishment scene, and then sent him to bed. But the next day, Erek was there at school, unscarred and ungrounded.

Suddenly, Erek grabbed my arm and pulled me down behind the console.

"Erek! What the-?"

"Shhhh!" he ordered. "He's looking at us!"

Now I did roll my eyes. "Erek, Jake doesn't even know you. There's no way he's gonna pound out some strange little kid in the middle of the mall."

"Watch who you call strange," he whispered back fiercely.

I grinned.

"If you're so un-strange, why are you scared to death around some random kid from math class?"

"I'm not scared," he muttered.

"Prove it."

Erek glared at me. "You want me to prove it? I'll prove it. Just watch me."

He got up slowly, shaking like a leaf and pale to the point of ghostism. Then, he bravely made his way over to the Monster.

"Hey," he said, faking a smile. "Me and my buddy heard you guys saying that you guys live in the Spring's district, and were about to head home. Turns out, we do, too. Mind if we tag along?"

I almost choked. Now he was going too far!

Jake gave him an odd look. "Uh, sure. If you want to."

The short Hispanic kid's eyes bulged. "Jake, man, didn't your parents tell you never to talk to strange little kids?" he stage-whispered.

"Shut up, Marco," Jake said good-naturedly.

I bit back a laugh at the look on Erek's face.

"Cool," Erek said, ignoring me. "Yo, Tobias! Come on out. The Monster doesn't bite."

I made a face and came up beside him. "'Yo'?" I asked incredulously in a loud whisper.

He laughed softly. "Now who's scared?"

I pushed him. "You are, man."

"You da freak," he replied, grinning.

I shook my head. This was going to be a long walk.

Stuck in my mournful thoughts, I didn't notice when Rachel appeared beside us, along with some short black girl. What was it with all these opposites?

"Hey, Tobias, right?"

My head jerked up, face in full-flush mode. "Um, yeah," I murmured, embarrassed.

She smiled, then turned to Erek. "And you're… Erek?"

"Heck yeah." Erek said, grinning. "And you, of course, are Rachel Berenson, the hottest chick in school. It's an honour to meet you, Miss."

She laughed. "Honour, yeah. You got that right."

The black chick nudged Rachel surreptitiously, causing her to laugh even more. "Oh, yeah. This is… uh, what did you say your name was again?"

The girl shook her head, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Jason McCole," before answering, "Cassie."

Erek grinned and bowed low. "Ah, yes, the infamous alter-ego of Rachel. Good to meet you, as well," he said, holding out a hand.

Cassie accepted it, then jerked back as if she'd been shocked. "Nice to meet you, too, Erek," she managed.

Erek's face betrayed nothing. I would really not like to play him in poker.

"Rachel's my cousin," Jake was explaining. "She and Cassie live pretty close to us."

Erek nodded. "Cool," he said.

As we walked out of the mall, Jake began to turn toward the old abandoned construction site before us. Marco grabbed his arm.

"Hey, where're you going, man?" he asked.

Jake shrugged him off. "It's faster that way," he said stubbornly.

"Sure, and getting killed by some chain-saw murderer is faster down there, too. Come on, Jake, let's go the long way."

"I have to get home quick," I said, surprising myself and the others as I spoke up for the first time. "It's 8:00, don't you think we should go home the faster way?"

I shook my head in shock. What was I saying? Dad had told me to never go that way. He said it like there was something down there he didn't want me to see. Maybe there was…

Rachel was grinning. "Come on, Marco, feel the adrenaline rush through your veins. Let's go Jake's way."

Marco shook his head sadly. "I'm disappointed in you, Rachel. I thought you of all people would have some molecule of sense within you."

"And I thought you, of all people would see the stupidity of such a thought, Marco," Cassie said dryly.

Marco raised his hands in defeat. "You're right, you're right. Forgive me for such stupidity."

Jake grinned. "And me, too. I don't know about you guys, but I'm going home that way."

The others exchanged a look. "Let's do it," Rachel said.

I felt a shiver go down my spine. Not fear, but the kind of feeling you get when you know something is going to happen. You don't know what, but it's going to happen, and there's nothing you can do to stop it.

I kept glancing up at the sky as we walked, mostly in silence. _Something should be there_, I thought. Something other than the moon and the stars.

Something was going to happen. Something bad. Or… good?

We walked, the others murmuring quietly to themselves, and I, waiting. For something that would change our lives.

We made it out of the construction site, and Erek and I walked home together. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened back in that lonely, abandoned construction site.

What had happened… was absolutely nothing.


	8. Listen

Elfangor's son

I tossed and turned in my sleep, lost in the nightmare that had plagued me for several nights now. Vague images; I could never remember them in the morning. Yet somehow, they felt… familiar is the best word I can use to describe it. Like something I hadn't seen or heard in a long time, but had not entirely forgotten.

This night, though, the images were as clear as glass.

_Water, everywhere; it is surrounding me, drowning my mind. Flooding my vision. _

_For a moment, I flounder in confusion. I have never enjoyed water; why am I here? A second later I come to the understanding that I am not here, that this is a dream._

_But it does not_ feel_ like a dream._

_A message._

_The image of a face appears in my mind. It is so startlingly familiar that I fall back in shock. _

_No, not I, physically. My mind is frozen, that is all._

_The face is my own._

_Now I am sure that this is a dream. For this face is not the one I have looked upon for the many years I have spent here, on Earth. It is not the ruddy, very human visage that I have known for so long._

_The face is mine as it was as years ago, in a lone ship out somewhere in deep space. It is that face that first greeted Loren. It is those eyes which first beheld her human beauty. Those ears that first heard her flowing voice, those hands which first touched her soft hair. It is the face of a young Andalite that stares back at me; not human but alien eyes meet mine in shock._

_It is impossible._

_(Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul,) calls the soundless voice. (Come home.)_

_In a useless and totally human act I place my hands over my ears to block the voice from my mind. I do not want to hear this, but I cannot stop the words of my clone. Of myself?_

_(Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, listen to me!) The voice is different now, urgent. Desperate. (Please, listen! I need your help. Help me… brother…) The image of the face wavers and collapses._

_The water clears from my mind, leaving nothing but blackness and an unanswered question._

_Brother?_

I awoke, trembling and sweating. Loren lay beside me, gentle breathing heaving her side up and down. I rolled over and snapped on the lamp on the bedside table and shook my head in confusion.

What did this mean? This was not just a dream, I was sure of that now. But, brother? I did not have a brother! I was an only child. One of the few rare ones on the Andalite homeworld.

I had not thought of home in a long time. I do not mean home, as in the homeworld, but as in the scoop I had grown up in with my parents. I had not thought of my family for a while even before Earth. I had forced myself to push them out of my mind, because thinking of them while deep in space would make me miss them more than I already did.

But now, in my confusion, I though of them. What would they be like, now, after all these years? Were they even still alive?

The thought brought chills down my spine. Their deaths would cause me… great pain.

But, in all the time that I had been away, could they have parented another son? My brother? And if so, did that mean they had forgotten me?

I sighed. It would be better if they had, since I was not planning on coming back any time soon. I had a life here, on Earth, a son to raise, a wife to care for. I had a job, and human friends, something I did not think was truly possible at first, though in time I had come to value my co-workers greatly. And besides, I was no longer even Andalite. I was human! And no one could take that away from me.

Not even my… brother?

A piercing scream brought me from my deep thoughts like a splash of cold water in the face.

Tobias!

I raced to his room, leaving Loren behind, still sleeping in the bed. Once there, I gently opened the door to face my 13-year-old son.

He sat in a similar position to mine, earlier, sweat dribbling down his face. He was breathing hard, as if he had just run a marathon, and was shaking all over.

A nightmare?

Or… a message?

"Tobias?" I asked softly, moving toward the bed.

He turned away. "Sorry, Dad," he muttered. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"You didn't," I assured him.

There was an awkward pause as my son refused to look at me. Then, finally, I broke the silence by saying simply, "Would you like to tell me about it?"

He sighed. "Not really. I guess I should just go back to sleep."

He started to lie back down, but I held his arm tightly.

"I had a nightmare, too," I revealed. "I would like to learn if you and I shared similar dreams."

Tobias made a face. "Where the heck did that come from? Some bad science fiction movie?"

I almost laughed at the irony. What would my son, a human child who did not believe in life on other planets, say if he found out that his own father was an alien?

Not that he ever would.

Tobias sighed again, then relented. "Okay. My dream should be from the same bad science fiction movie that your question came from." He pulled a hand through his thick, unruly blond hair. "I dreamed about some alien. Crazy, huh?" He smiled almost imperceptibly. Then his eyes darkened. "He was calling your name… well, sort of your name, only different. His voice was in my head, almost."

My breath caught in my throat. "My name, Tobias?"

He shook his head, still smiling slightly. "Yeah, I know. Weird. Oh, well. What did you dream?"

It took a moment for me to find my voice. "Nothing of consequence," I murmured.

"Oh, come on," he begged. "I told you my wild dream, you've gotta tell me yours."

I smiled slightly and playfully ruffled his hair, something I had not done for a long time. Then, "Tobias, you are not going to believe this, but I had the same dream," I said casually.

His jaw practically dropped. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

He considered this for a moment. "That's not possible."

"You dreamed that the… alien called me Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul?" I said cautiously.

He blinked. "Yeah, that's it exactly."

I bit my lip, unsure of what to tell him. That I knew what the alien was in his dream? I couldn't do that.

I forced a small smile. "You're probably right, Tobias. Just some random coincidence." I released his arm. "You get some sleep, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

I felt his eyes on me as I exited, and tried not think of how much he reminded me of Loren.


	9. Find

**Okay, people, sorry for the let down. Yes, I know that this is another short chapter (ARRRGH!) I promise you, the next will be longer. I have plans....muhahaha.... **

**Thank you all for the glorious reviews! I have a long weekend right now, and Easter Break is coming up soon, so be prepared for more chapters. Also, I will be correcting some mistakes I have made in previous chapters ASAP. For now, I have a limited time on the computer, since I am supposed to be writing a speech, and am instead devoting my time to typing this... :sheepish grin: hehe...**

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I paused in the driveway of my home, unsure of what to do. The dream had been in my mind all day at work, and all the way home. Sherry had been annoyed at my lack of speech, but didn't interrupt, seeing that today was not a great day for me.

I had thoroughly analyzed the message of the alien and his surroundings. He couldn't be that far away, for his message to reach this distance. I had surmised that in my absence, my people had created some sort of thought-speak enhancer, to reach over greater distances. I did not know how strong it was, but it couldn't go too far. That would expend a great deal of energy. And it must be somehow connected to the morphing technology, as I was no longer Andalite.

If this alien was who he claimed, if he really was my… brother, it would be a crime to do nothing to help. But if he was somehow connected to the Yeerks, I might as well be signing my family's death sentence.

I leaned against the steering wheel, considering my options. For the first time in my life, I was truly forced to choose between my own species and my adopted species, humans. But surely, the danger was not that great! I could leave now, and rescue this Andalite, without too much risk to my family.

I straightened, having made up my mind. I would find him, and then return to Tobias and Loren. I would find someway of getting him back to the homeworld, and I would go on with my life.

But how to find him with such limited technology at my disposal?

The nearest body of water was the Pacific Ocean. As our city was right along the coast, arriving at the ocean would be no great feat. It was the searching of the endless ocean floor that would cause struggle. But I would find him.

I told Loren that I would be leaving on a business trip for a few days, and would be returning shortly. Tobias was at Erek's house, so I trusted that she would inform him of my departure. I then proceeded to obtain some primitive diving gear and head to the beach, determined to succeed.

As I stared out at the ocean, despair began to rise within me. There was so much water! How would I ever be able to find him with this backward technology?

I had managed to enhance the respirator a little, but not enough to spend an entire day under the surface. And I had brought a small searching device I had been working on ever since making my decision, but I was unsure whether it would work or not. All I knew for certain was that I would either find my brother with it, or lose a part of myself.

I drew a deep breath, and dived.


	10. Learn

Tobias's POV

The test was one of our biggest marks this year. You flunked it, you flunked English. Period.

It wasn't that hard. Heck, it was ridiculously easy. The problem was, no one else thought so. Everyone was groaning and complaining about how _haaaaaard_ it was. No one had studied. Well, I sure hadn't, anyway.

Most everyone I saw was sneaking a peek off of Erek's, since Erek was smart and always got 100% on pretty much every test. I sat right beside him, but I didn't look. If I knew Erek, he was deliberately answering the questions wrong to psyche out the other students. He would go to the teacher after the test and tell her about it, and ask for a rewrite during lunch. And he would get it, too.

I myself could easily ace this test, but I did well on almost every test, and was teased for it. I was called a freak for getting good grades even without studying, and had been accused of cheating more than once. It was thought that I, as the official best friend of Erek King, cheated off of his work all the time.

So this time, I carefully answered question after question wrong, trying to make it look like I was just as dense as everyone else in the class. I hated getting higher marks when everyone else was failing. It made me stand out. There was nothing worse than standing out.

And after class, unlike Erek, I would not go to the teacher and ask for a rewrite.

This had been going on for some time. I was always trying to be like the other kids in class. I loved to read, but I didn't, because everyone else hated it. I loved to watch the sky at night, but since no one else did, I instead wasted my time playing video games at the mall. I loved to draw and to think about the world, but I never expressed myself in my work, trying to make it look as bad as your average 13-year-old boy's.

Even Erek couldn't really understand what it was like. Oh, sure, he was unbelievably smart, but he was always joking around. He never took things very seriously. Unless, of course, you mentioned violence to him. Then he was dangerously serious. But otherwise… he just didn't understand.

When we were finished the test, we were given some free time to work on homework. Most kids just hung around at the back of the class, talking and laughing. I sat in my desk, waiting for the bell to ring.

Erek, as usual, was the center of attention. He was in the middle of a group of kids, telling some wild story that they had probably heard a thousand times before; but told by Erek, it was always better the second time around.

I sighed and ran a hand through my unruly blond hair. I could never get it to look quite right, and to my embarrassment, it usually stuck out in just about every way possible without being four-dimensional. I should probably have it cut sometime.

I considered the events of the day. I had woken up at four in the morning, soaked in sweat and utterly terrified by some strange dream that I apparently shared with my father. Upon arriving at school, two kids who called themselves Andy and Tap-tap had cornered me and given me the ultimate swirly, causing me to be late for my first class. I had just officially failed the biggest math test of the year, on purpose. Dad was out on some business trip, Loren was at home, and Erek was going to The Sharing after school.

Great. Well, there was always the arcade.

I shook my head. What the heck. I didn't care what Erek said, I was going to The Sharing with him. From what other kids said about it, it didn't sound half as bad as Erek made it up to be. You could make friends there, it was something to do after school, and it was a bully-free environment. I had considered trying it for some time, and now I was sure, since I had nothing else to do, I would go.

Now, only to convince Erek. Sigh.

After school, I raced to catch up with Erek. He had a strange look on his face before he noticed I was watching him. I couldn't quite discern it.

When he saw me, of course, his face instantly brightened. Erek can change his expression and mood like flipping a switch. It's a tad disconcerting, but you get used to it. I have, anyway.

"Hey, Erek," I said in greeting.

He grinned. "Hey, yourself. What's up?"

I bit my lip, trying to figure a way convince him. "You mind if I tag along?" I asked.

His face darkened immediately. "Nuh-uh. No way. You are going home Tobias, right now. And I am going to The Sharing."

I smirked. "You sound like my dad."

A slow flush began to creep up his face, but it was gone in a flash. "Sure, yeah, whatever. You're still not coming."

"Why not?"

For a moment, I could almost read the words in Erek's face. But then the image was gone, and he was smiling. "Because The Sharing is really a front organization for a bunch of evil psychotic aliens who want to take over your mind," he confided seriously, but his eyes twinkled.

I laughed. "Erek, you are on some sort of weird trip."

He shook his head, openly grinning now. "But do you see now why you shouldn't come? They may take over your mind and make you talk to Rachel daily! I'm only concerned for your safety, Tobias," he said innocently.

I shuddered. "Then someone should do something to stop them, huh?" I said, grinning.

He scowled. "Seriously, Tobias, go to the arcade or something."

"Come on, Erek, I have nothing else to do. I'll only come tonight, okay?"

Erek sighed. "You'll have to stay with the guests, then. Only full-members are allowed to the meetings and stuff."

"Are you a full-member?" I asked.

"Yeah, unfortunately," he muttered. "Come on, if you're coming, you're coming."

o0o0o0o

The Sharing was incredibly crowded for a small organization. I squeezed my way through dozens of people to the couch and plopped down beside some kid I noticed out of the corner of my eye. He looked sort of familiar, but I wasn't really looking at him.

"Tobias?"

I turned to him, startled. Then I smiled slightly. "Oh, hi, Jake," I said, recognizing the sandy-brown hair and eyes. "What are you doing here? Are you a member of The Sharing?" Somehow, it was easier to talk to him than other people.

He shook his head. "Nah, but my brother is. He invited me." Jake made a face.

"You don't like it?"

"Not really. I guess it's just not my thing. I just came because Tom wanted me to," he replied.

I nodded. "Erek's a member, and I had nothing else to do tonight, so I came with him."

He smiled, then abruptly changed the subject. "So, how'd you do on that English test today?"

I stared at my feet. "Awh, heck, I'm pretty sure I failed," I muttered.

He grinned. "Yeah, me, too."

We sat in silence for a while, until a man came on stage and started speaking to us.

I froze the moment he started talking. Slow chills went up and down my spine.

There was something about him that scared the crap out of me. Was it his eyes? His voice? What about him made him so utterly terrifying?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. _You idiot, Tobias. Come on, you don't even know the guy. Shake it off._

I didn't really listen as he introduced us to The Sharing, just stared into space. I did spare a glance at Jake, though. He looked almost like he was going to fall asleep, but his attention was rapt on the speaker. What did he call himself again?

Oh, yeah. Victor Trent.


	11. Found

I searched for hours. It felt more like days, underwater like that. From time to time, I questioned myself. What was I doing? I detested water! Andalites, though we- they could swim, were not very adept at it. Even as a human, swimming was not my strong fort. But the Andalite's silent call always drove me forward, and deeper into the dark abyss of the ocean.

At times like these, I wished desperately for the morphing technology. With it, I could easily go on like this for much longer. But I was human, and humans couldn't morph.

I called out silently with my mind, using long-silent thought-speech. In the years since the accident, I had almost forgotten about that particular ability. I hoped, however, that the Andalite would receive it.

(Andalite cousin!) I called. (Please, hear me. I am here, I am searching for you. I will help you.)

The hours dragged on, but I, always stubborn, refused to admit to defeat. I would find him.

(Andalite cousin!)

Silence.

(Andalite cousin!) I stared at the device in my hands, willing the Andalite readings to appear on the screen.

(Andalite cousin! Where are-)

(Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul?) The voice was hesitant, faint. But it was definitely there.

(Yes. I am here to help you. Please relay your location,) I replied excitedly. Could this possibly be my… brother?

My human heart thudded loudly in the water. I clenched my hands tightly, suddenly afraid, suddenly apprehensive. What would this Andalite think of me, in this human form?

Form?

I was human! All the way through. I had forgotten much about my former species, and embraced the humans as my own. It was difficult at times, of course, with such limited technology, but it was human, and I accepted that. So why was I worried what an Andalite child would think of me?

Because he was my brother?

(I am… unsure of my location. I know I am near the bottom. Look for a large dome. I am inside of the living area of a Domeship. Judging from the distance of your thought-speech, I believe I am west of you.) The other's voice shook within my mind, betraying many of the same feelings I felt within myself.

I began to swim in the direction he had told me, and suddenly realized I was trembling. I bit my lip, then dove forward.

In minutes, through the murky water I began to see the faint outline of a dome. I swam closer, heart thundering.

(Andalite cousin, I think I see you. Prepare to open the airlock.)

(I am ready.)

I kicked my feet hard through the water, feeling my need for air increase. I checked the respirator. I had plenty, so why did it feel so hard to breathe?

I approached what appeared to be the airlock of the dome warily, seeing a blurred form within the dome. I drew one breath, and then another. A mass of bubbles erupted in the water as the airlock opened. A screeching sound pierced my ears form a moment, and I saw the blurry form fumble at the controls. Abruptly, the sound stopped.

I entered the airlock, tense as a rubber band stretched to the max.

The water drained out through the back, and I almost fell to the floor, quickly steadying myself against the glass that surrounded me. It wasn't really glass, I reminded myself sternly, trying to remember that which I had forgotten about my former species.

I took off the gear, drawing in a deep breath as I withdrew the respirator from my human mouth. Then I looked up.

A young Andalite stood just beyond the door, regarding me curiously. I bit back a gasp. Even the startling images in the dream could not have prepared me for the remarkable resemblance of the Andalite to my old self.

He pressed a control, and the door opened. I walked in, shaky from my long journey.

For a long moment, we stared at each other. His main eyes were cautious, wary, and his stalks twisted back and forth, once in a while landing on me, but always returning to their aimless searching.

I took a step forward, and suddenly, a blade was at my throat. I almost laughed. I had forgotten how fast those tails were.

(You are Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul?) he asked.

I nodded. "Yes, I am."

He nearly jumped, and I realised the sound of a human's voice would be unfamiliar to him. Speaking out loud was something related to the Yeerks, since the only association Andalites had with other species were with those infested.

He regarded me closely, now. (How do I know that this is not some Yeerk trick?) he asked, his voice hard in my mind. (You are human. You could have some Yeerk slug wrapped around your brain.) In a sudden movement, he jerked forward, trying to startle me. But raising a human child had given me so many small scares that simple movement was nothing.

"You don't," I said. "How do I know that this is not a Yeerk trick?" I countered, indicating the dome. "A very elaborate setup, trying to draw me in."

His main eyes narrowed. (The Yeerks would not have gone to all the trouble,) he replied.

"What you have said to me also answers your own question," I said. "The Yeerks would have simply grabbed you and infested you. A child Andalite, all alone… It would have been far too easy. And why would they send a puny human such a great distance with such primitive technology?"

He looked at my gear. (You have added to it,) he accused.

I followed his eyes to the enhancer. "So I have," I commented calmly.

He withdrew his blade. (You have broken Seerow's Kindness?) he asked me, confused.

I considered. Had I? "No," I said. "No one knows of this. Of me."

Not anymore, anyway.

He frowned slightly. Then, his main eyes widened. (Forgive me. I suppose you have as many questions as I do. My name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill.)

I could almost hear his own heart… _hearts_ pounding as he said, (You are my brother.)

I stared at him in shock. It was somehow different, hearing it said aloud. Well, in my mind.

I finally found my voice. "Yes, that is what you said in your message to me. How is this so? And how did you find me? I was under the impression everyone believed me dead."

He looked down. (My family thinks me stupid for not accepting your "death".) he said. A slight pause, then hesitantly, (I was born shortly after you disappeared. When I was told that I had a brother, I was… intrigued. I began to research about your final mission. Things just didn't seem to make sense. You and a human female had the Time Matrix, and Visser Three was chasing you. But then you died, and the Time Matrix disappeared. The Yeerks didn't have it, and nothing can disappear by itself. So I concluded that you must have hidden it. Yet you didn't have the time to hide it while you were battling Visser Three, and it was recorded that you died during that battle. I decided that you had to be alive, and the only logical place for you to go would have been Earth, because of the human female you had with you. And so, when the mission to Earth came up, I managed to get assigned to it. Unfortunately, the Yeerks were far more powerful than we expected, and…) His main eyes remained glued to his hooves. (I am the only survivor,) he finisher quietly.

A wave of sympathy washed over me, then, for this young Andalite so much like me. I touched his shoulder. He drew back incomprehensively, and I remembered that though such a gesture was common among humans, with an Andalite, it must be viewed as incredibly strange. I tried to make my voice gentle. "You are very intelligent, Aximili," I said. "I came to Earth, but not to hide the Time Matrix. You see, the human female? Her name is Loren. And I love her."

His main eyes bulged. (A human?) he asked incredulously.

I nodded, smiling. "I came to Earth because I was so sick and tired of war, of killing," I continued. "I did hide the Time Matrix, but the main reason I came here was to be with Loren. We made a life here. I have a job. I even have a son." I paused for a moment, seeing the shock in his main eyes. "How old are you, Aximili?"

(Two.)

"In Earth years?"

He frowned slightly. (Approximately fourteen years,) he said after a moment.

"You are about a year older than my son, Tobias," I informed him.

(Tb'ace?) he asked at the almost-familiar word.

I smiled approvingly. "Yes, that is what I intended. His name is human, but it is based off an Andalite word."

His face hardened. (You must come back with me, Elfangor. This is not your place.)

I shook my head firmly. "That is where you are wrong, Aximili. This is my home, now. As I have said, I have a family. I have a life here."

He looked away, sighing. (I cannot go home, anyway. I have no ship, no nothing. I do not even know if I can get out of here.)

"You have the morphing technology, do you not?"

(Yes.)

"Then acquire a morph. I will help you get a ship to return to your homeworld."

He took a step closer. "Our homeworld, Elfangor." Then he frowned. (How will you get a ship? I was not aware that humans were capable of space flight.)

"They aren't," I said grimly. "But the Yeerks are."


	12. Felt

**Believe it or not, this chapter is really not this short. Some stupid thing happened on my computer, and half of it was deleted. I'm still trying to retrieve it, and I think I can, but not tonight. I will try and update tomorrow. **

**Angel of Music6: No worries! I have a whole week off. Last week I was pretty busy with the local Music Festival and school, but it's Easter Break right now, and I'm not going anywhere since I saw my family over the week-end. So I will try to be writing lots. I finally have it figured out how I'm going to end this suckah. Now I just have to get there, lol.**

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"Hey, Midget." A tall teenager sat down beside Jake. He looked about three, maybe four years older than him. Judging from his sandy brown hair and dark eyes, he could only be Jake's older brother, Tom.

Tom looked at me. For a moment, I felt my heart race. What was it about the people here? Why did they all seem to send chills down my spine?

"Do I know you?" he asked, a quizzical smile playing on his lips.\

I shook my head curtly.

He grinned. "Good. Then I have an excuse for not knowing your name. I'm really bad with those."

Despite myself, I felt my lips pull back in a slight smile.

"So, what's your name, Squirt, and how have you been terrorizing the Midget here? I think I'm in need of new material."

"Tobias," I answered. What was it about him that made me want to run? He seemed perfectly normal. The perfect big brother.

"Tobias, huh?" He shook his head. "Interesting name. Sounds biblical."

"My dad's from a different culture," I offered. "He says it's based off a word in his language."

"Cool. Oh, by the way, I'm Tom. I assume you and Jake have met?" At my nod, he continued, "So, then, what horror stories has he told you of big, bad Tommy?"

"Enough," I replied. Seeing Erek, I looked at Jake. "I've gotta go, man. See you in Math."

"Sure." Jake nodded.

I began to walk toward Erek, but stopped as I saw a familiar figure in the crowd. I froze, shocked.

Loren?! What the-?

I shook my head. That couldn't be Loren. Loren was home. I had called and told her that I was going to the Sharing, and that was that. I laughed softly. Loren wouldn't come here. She was probably sitting on the couch, watching TV. The woman who looked hopelessly lost amid the sea of people couldn't possibly…

Oh, dang.

Heart racing, I chased after the woman who was my mother.


	13. Changed

**I have posted. BWAHAHAHA!! **

**Yes, it has been forever. But my computer is working again!! And I have been writing!! And I will be posting!!**

**A/N: This is from Loren's- yes, Loren's- point of view. The things she thinks are not necessarily true. I have researched, and have found out many things about blind people. This is just the way she, herself, sees the world. Just so you know.**

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_Loren's POV_

I woke up in the morning to an empty bed.

Now, this is not unusual. Al usually wakes up long before me, and sometimes goes to work early. But today, I did not want to be alone.

Who am I kidding? I never want to be alone.

Tobias was gone, as well. There wasn't much I could do about that. He tends to leave as soon as possible for school, and usually does not return home until late at night.

I sat up and stretched in bed, then made my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Up, down, side to side, around in circles. That was what Nurse Tamara had taught me years ago.

How I missed her. She seemed to understand everything I felt. Even when I couldn't find the words to speak, she understood.

Not like Alan.

Oh, Al was nice, but he was so withdrawn! His voice was… different than others I had heard. His words ran smoothly together, and while it was pleasant enough to listen to, shivers ran down my spine whenever I heard it. There was rarely any emotion in his tone. His touch was magical, but it just didn't feel right. Even after all these years, I could not get used to him. He always seemed as if he were hiding something.

And Tobias was just as withdrawn, in his own way. He wouldn't stay in the house for ten minutes unless Al was there. And he was so very silent. I couldn't understand him. He spent the majority of his time away with Erek, our neighbour, or alone on the roof of our house.

Actually, it was their house, really. I was just a shadow of the woman they once shared it with. I knew this. I could feel it emanating from them, could hear it in their voices when they spoke to me. I had the body of their wife and mother, but I was just a replacement.

They had often spoken of how I used to be, the things I did before the accident years ago. I had been a strong woman, sure of my place in society. I made friends easily, cared for other people. I had loved to shop and go places with my family. _She was so different then_, were the unspoken words they used when speaking of that time.

I went to my customary spot on the couch and flicked on the television set. I couldn't see the pictures, of course, but trying to guess what was happening was one of my only pastimes. I could do very little.

I could take Champ for a walk; I could read the books written in brail that Al had bought for me. I could visit Mother. I could go on the computer.

There wasn't much else.

Of course, there were things I wanted very much to do, but could not. I wanted to work, to have some use in this life, but that was out of the question. Where could a blind woman work? And besides, Al brought in all the money we could ever need with his job.

I wanted to help others, as Cara had helped me. But I could not. I had no idea how I could help, and for some reason I did not want to ask Al.

I wanted to learn, wanted to attend college, have some life that would be remembered once I was gone.

But none of that would ever happen. Of that, I was sure.

I flicked to another channel, listening for a moment, then sighing and turning off the TV. Not today, I decided. Today I am going for a walk with Champ, and no one can stop me.

Where had Tobias said he was going again? The Sharing?

That program met at the Community Centre, I recalled. I knew where that was. Maybe I would go there. Sure, I would go there. From what Tobias had said, it sounded pretty interesting.

I got dressed and headed out, fumbling with the lock on the door for a moment before managing to lock it securely. Then I went down the street, giving Champ orders as I went.

He really was a great guide dog. I wished I could see him, but then, I wished I could see everything. That was just the way things were.

I was doing fine for a time, and was getting to be genuinely happy, when suddenly, I tripped and fell flat on my face. Champ stood over me, whimpering in apology.

"It's okay, boy," I murmured, reaching out a hand to touch his rough fur. "I'm fine."

I started to get up when I felt a hand on my back. Startled, I turned in the direction of the intrusive touch.

A deep, masculine voice echoed around me. "Are you all right, Miss?"

I stood up, feeling the man's strong grip incase my hand. "Yes, I'm fine," I replied, moving my head to where the voice seemed to be coming from.

"My name is Gaf- Gary," he said. He sounded somewhat surprised. "What is yours?"

"Loren. Thank you for helping me, Gary." I turned to leave, but felt his hand on my shoulder. I paused.

"Excuse me, Miss," he said, a strange quality to his voice that I did not understand. "I apologise if you take offence, but I was wondering… Can you not see me?"

I stiffened. Wasn't that obvious?

"No," I replied tightly.

There was a pause. "I apologise."

I sighed. It was just curiosity, I reminded myself. I didn't understand why so many people were so openly curious about the disabled. I had even met people who wished they were blind!

"I'm sorry, too," I muttered. "In answer to your question, yes, I am blind."

Another pause. "I had never met a ve- anyone who had a disability until about a month ago," he revealed softly. "My friend was hurt in an accident. I… care very much for him. That is why I am interested in people like you."

_People like me._ I hated it when people grouped those who were blind or deaf or paralysed all into one category like that. Though I felt for the injured friend, I knew that his injury probably had nothing to do with being blind. Everyone is different. Some people can't walk, some can't feel, and some are like me, who can't see. It doesn't mean that I'm anything like them.

The silence lengthened between us, before he said, "I should be going. I am sorry for taking your time."

"Thank you for helping me," I repeated lamely.

Pause. "You are welcome."

I heard his feet against the pavement of the sidewalk and knew he was leaving. I bit back a sigh of relief. Then I continued on my walk to the Sharing.

o0o0o0o

_Well, I'm here,_ I thought. Now what?

Voices, voices, too many of them, all at once, blasting my ears. People, everywhere, talking to each other, brushing against me as they rushed to sit down. And then suddenly, the room quieted, and I heard a man begin to speak.

His voice was slow, hypnotic. I shivered slightly for a moment, convinced myself that it was simply the cold of the large room. He began to speak about the benefits of the Sharing, and I found myself actually listening, enthralled by what he was saying.

Suddenly, I felt a strange queasiness in my stomach. The words… the voice…

It was ridiculous. How could he sound… familiar? I had never met him. Al would have told me! Wouldn't he?

Besides, I had permanent amnesia. I was never going to remember.

Never.

As he began his closing words, I stood up from my chair and went into the hallway with Champ. Sighing, I leaned against the wall, brushing Champ's soft head. He bumped a cold, wet nose against my cheek in response.

I stood up as I heard applause coming from the auditorium. "Go back to the exit, boy," I ordered. He sniffed mournfully, then complied.

Suddenly, I stopped mid-stride. "Halt," I ordered.

A voice rang out through the crowd. It was that man with the mesmerizing voice! I frowned, considering, and then ordered, "Forward."

The direction of hypnotic voice.

As I walked, I began to think of questions I could ask the man. I laughed inwardly. I could just imagine his reaction to a blind amnesiac walking up to him and saying, "Do I know you?"…

Thankfully, he kept on talking, by the sound of the replying voice, to a woman who was asking a constant stream of disrespectful questions. His voice seemed to grow louder at one point, then lowered again. He sounded totally unaware that I was following him.

At some point, the loud chatter in the hallway quieted to a low murmur, and I gathered that we were in some remote section of the building. Suddenly, I felt a warm hand on my arm.

"Excuse me, ma'am, you can't go back here," a deep, baritone voice intoned.

I frowned. "Why not?"

"Full members only. Sorry."

I considered. "What if I want to become a full member? Can I come back here then?"

Pause. "Come with me."

He led me through the empty-sounding corridor, his grip on my arm tight. Champ, ever the protector, tried desperately to keep ahead, but I was soon dragging him behind, concentrating only on keeping up with the man's quick pace.

Finally, we stopped. "Wait here," he said, and left.

I did as he told. Sighing, I knelt down and patted Champ's head. What the heck was I doing?

Champ's ears pricked up suddenly, and if mine could, they would have as well. Voices, coming from the room across the hallway. _Curiosity killed the cat,_ a voice surprisingly like Nurse Tamara's whispered warningly in my thoughts, but I ignored it and headed in the direction of the voices, trying not to trip.

"-you and I both know I should have been promoted months ago!"

A sigh. "Sub-visser Twenty-Eight, we are all well aware of your tactical abilities, but the truth is that they are just not needed here! Ever since I destroyed those Andalite ships in orbit, we have encountered absolutely no threat to the Yeerks."

Pause. I could almost feel the tension radiating off the woman. In a flash of memory, I realised that it was the same one I heard talking to the man I had been following. And there was no mistaking that slow voice. But what on Earth were they talking about? And why did my head hurt so much just thinking about it?

"You forget, Visser Three, that I am the leading expert on humans. They do not fall back easily when challenged."

A snort. "Then why are we standing here, in the midst of our voluntary-controller organization? You tell me, Visser."

Pause. When… Visser Three? spoke again, his voice was as cold as ice. "Ever since you discovered the humans, Sub-visser Twenty-Eight, you have dropped your commanding status and concentrated on humans. You have not destroyed any ships; you have not helped the Yeerks at all. That is the reason you have not been promoted beyond the rank of sub-visser. Do you understand?"

"Esplin, this war isn't about battle!!" Sub-visser Twenty-Eight cried. "It's about finding a new way for our people, to infest others! We've been engaged in war so long that we have forgotten that that is our primary task."

The tension in the room was almost palpable. Finally, a voice so cold it iced the blood in my veins shattered the silence.

"Were you any other, _Sub-visser_, I would kill you. Right here. Right now. Be glad you are who you are, Edriss. And never, _ever_ refer to me in that way again."

My heart was racing. Kill her? What were they talking about? This had to be a joke. Somebody's sick idea of a prank to play on the helpless blind woman.

What was a Visser, anyway? And… sub-visser? Yeerk? Aliens. Infestation. It had to be a joke.

It had to.

Was it?

There was a rustling of some sort, and then I heard footsteps on the cold floor, steadily growing louder. I bit back a gasp. What if they saw me? What if this wasn't a joke?

"Forward, boy," I murmured. Champ eagerly stood up, whimper softly.

"Shhhh… Come on, let's get out of here, Champ!"

I got up off the cold cement floor far too quickly and winced in pain. Then I ran, Champ ahead of me only slightly. Behind me, I heard the door creak, and ran even faster.

More footsteps. I listened hard, confused. Why were there three sets? Unless….

The man who had led me here!

"Visser, I-"

"Who was that?"

"I'm sorry, Visser! She wanted to be a member of the Sharing, I was going to see Chapman, I didn't-"

A snarl. "You realise that she heard _everything we said?!_"

"Visser, I'm sorry! I-"

More footsteps.

"Kill him." Cold, icy, insensitive.

A scream. The sound of someone being led away.

No. No!

The footsteps were growing louder!

My breath came fast. What was I going to do? What was I going to do?

Champ led me back out into the crowded foyer of the community centre meeting. From the sounds of it, the Sharing meeting was all over and people were getting ready to go home.

I stopped suddenly, realizing with dismay that I was hopelessly lost. I would have to wait till everyone was gone to find the exit, it was so crowded.

"Loren!"

I turned in the direction of the voice. Tobias?

A hand on my arm. I jerked away in fear.

Tobias's voice was soft, soothing. So like his father's. "It's okay, Loren." Pause. "What are you doing here? I thought you were at home!"

I nodded mutely.

"Come on, let's go. Erek's waiting," he said gently.

Again, I nodded. Grasping Champ's leash tightly in my hand, I allowed him to lead me toward the exit.

Suddenly, he stopped. The crowd was suddenly getting louder. Someone cried out.

"What's happening?" I asked, terrified. "Tobias, what's happening?!"

He squeezed my arm. "It's okay, Loren. It's just the security guys. I guess someone did something or other. It's nothing."

We headed out back. From the sound of it, there were far less people. Perhaps none.

My heart thundered loudly. We would get home, and then it would all be fine.

Suddenly, voices, footsteps, behind us. Tobias, cursing. "Come on, Loren!"

And then we were running, Champ ahead, me stumbling behind.

"Tobias, what's happening?" I cried.

Silence. I pulled on his arm. "Tobias!"

"It's just those security guys from the Sharing, Loren. It's fine," he replied softly.

_Then why do you sound so afraid?_

Over the years, I had learned to tell what people were thinking or feeling by the sound of their voice. It was a very useful gift. I usually knew when someone was lying, or if they were feeling bad.

Tobias sounded utterly terrified.

"Stop!" The voice was hard, grating.

I froze. "Tobias…"

He was suddenly close to me, quietly breathing, "Just let them talk, Loren. I'm right here, don't worry."

I drew a breath and listened to someone- a man, from the sound of it- slowly step closer.

Step. "Excuse me, you two, we've had some vandalism in the northern corridor, and someone said they saw this woman walk out of there just now." Step. "That corridor is a restricted area. No one is allowed back there."

Tobias spoke up. "I'm sorry, sir, but I think you have the wrong woman. Lo- my mother is blind."

Pause. A strange quality came to the man's voice as he said, "That may be, but we still need to ask you a few questions. Do you mind coming with us?"

Tobias's arm tensed. _What does he see?_ I wondered desperately.

"We really need to go," he said.

"Just for a few minutes."

I felt Tobias slowly back up. "I'm sorry, sir. I can assure you that we have absolutely no part in this."

Pause. When the man spoke again, his voice sounded almost menacing. "Do I need to call the police on you kids?" Step. The sound of clothing brushing against clothing, as if he were raising his arm.

_Kids?_ I wondered.

Tobias backed up another step. "Come on, Loren," he said, grasping my arm tightly. When I resisted, Champ let out a low whimper.

Tobias's hand was squeezing my arm, now. I felt bruises begin to form under the pressure. "Come _on,_ Loren!"

He began to run, dragging me along as if I were a rag doll. "Tobias!" I cried.

_What does he see?_

I heard a strange sound coming from the man's hand. Then,

TSSSEEEEWWWW!!!!

I froze. _What was that?_

Tobias was grunting in pain. Something had hit him!

That strange sound again. As if something were powering up. A weapon?

I heard the man's position change. My heart stopped.

Whatever it was that he had, it was pointing straight at me.


	14. Caught

_Erek's POv_

A thousand things should have been going through my mind as I saw the community centre security men take off after Loren. I should have been thinking something noble, like, _Oh, no! They're going after Loren! I've got to save her!_ Or, _I must stop the evil Yeerks from taking yet another host for their despicable deeds!_

What I thought was, _Oh, man, Maria's gonna _kill_ me!_

Okay, maybe not kill. But I swear, that woman could come awfully close.

I watched them follow Loren and Tobias through the crowd. At that point, I started to get really nervous. A human might not have been able to notice it, but I saw a tiny hand-held Dracon beam in one of the men's hands.

Without really thinking, I followed, unseen, through the crowd.

_No! Tobias, you idiot!_ I thought as I watched him lead Loren out back. Out back as in, no one, anywhere. Out back as in, all alone.

No witnesses.

I picked up my pace slightly, following them out the back door, listening to the Controllers speak to them.

"… I can assure you that we have absolutely no part in this," Tobias was saying.

One of the men was gripping his Dracon beam tightly at his side. I watched his face change, become darker, angry. "Do I need to call the police on you kids?" he asked, his voice strained.

I frowned. Obviously, they had been given orders to either capture or kill Loren and Tobias. But why? And what was Loren doing here anyway?

Tobias's eyes were wide with fear as the man raised the now-visible Dracon beam and pointed it at him. _Dang it!_ I thought. If he had allowed Tobias to see it, it could only mean that there was no way he was going to let him out of there.

And what of Loren? Somehow I didn't think the Yeerks would enjoy a blind host. What would they do with her?

TSSSSSEEEEEWWW!!

My head jerked up in shock. Surely they hadn't…

And then I saw Tobias fall back, his hand clutching his arm, an expression of pain on his face.

Something inside me hardened, then, as I saw Tobias stumble back, falling to the ground. Some distant part of me clenched together in a tight ball.

Of course I knew who Tobias was. Of course I knew who his father was. Al Fangor. Elfangor. It was all quite obvious, really.

I remembered back to when he first showed up in the neighbourhood. Of course, I hadn't been living with Kevin at that point. But I certainly remembered him griping about this hot-shot know-it-all human computer genius at work on the Chee-net. At first, we had all found it quite entertaining. But then we began to receive reports about an Andalite named Elfangor, who had supposedly stolen something called the Time Matrix from Visser Three.

Elfangor.

Al Fangor.

"Brilliant" Andalite.

Human computer genius.

And the tiny fact that this Andalite had been running around with a human girl.

It all added up.

As a group, we had decided not to confront him about it, and to simply watch him. Surprisingly, he didn't seem all too interested in the Yeerk invasion of Earth, seemingly happy to live with a human woman named Loren and raise a family.

And now his son was my best friend.

As a Chee, I could never let myself get too close to someone, knowing that someday they would die and I would have to move on with my life. I had learned my lesson with my Pemalite master, Ulera. But for some reason, I was drawn to the silent, intelligent son of Elfangor who seemed content to throw all his talent away for a chance to be a normal human boy.

Obviously, that goal wasn't going to be achieved any time soon.

Though as an android, I did not have to be subject to human expression, in the thousands of years I had lived on Earth, I had grown accustomed to showing what I felt on my holographic face, and I was sure that I was projecting every feeling I had ever felt as clearly as glass.

The man was pointing the Dracon beam at Loren.

Loren, Tobias's mother.

Loren, who had absolutely no idea how to defend herself.

Without thinking, I moved forward with lightning-fast speed, pushing her and Tobias out of reach of the deadly beam.

TSSSEEEEWWWW!!

Missing us by an inch, the Dracon beam fired into nothingness.

And already, I had us within a hologram.

Tobias sat up, blinking. "About time, Erek," he mumbled. Then the shock of what I had just done began to register. He looked around, eyes wide. "What the-? How…?"

_Dang it,_ I thought. If I hadn't blown it by pushing them aside like I did, the hologram had definitely rocked their world.

Well, Tobias's at least.

"Where the heck are we? Erek, where'd those guys go? And how did you get to us so fast? Erek?"

"Shhh," I whispered nervously. The hologram may have blocked us from the sight of the security guards, but it certainly couldn't muffle sound.

Tobias instantly shut up. Just like that.

_He trusts me,_ I realised, not for the first time wondering how he could do so when I literally lived a lie. He had trusted me enough to take him to the Sharing. Granted, to our knowledge he had no idea of what the Sharing really was, but still…

"Come on," I whispered, moving through the hologram into the trees that surrounded the park behind the Community Centre. Tobias hesitated, then followed, as trusting as ever, taking Loren's hand in his.

From what I had seen of Loren, so far, she was in shock, following meekly wherever I led. That wasn't a good sign.

She hadn't said a word since I had pushed her out of the way of the Dracon beam. _She must be very confused and frightened,_ I realised pityingly.

Where was I going, anyway? Away from the Yeerk-infested Community Centre, certainly, but where was that?

I had no choice, then. I had to take them back to the secret underground Chee area that resided in my basement. They would see everything, know everything. They would know about me, the Yeerks, the Andalites who fought valiantly in a losing battle.

They would have to. Because after that little stunt, they would never be able to go back to the world they once knew, if they valued their lives.

As we reached the street that led to both of our homes, I dropped the hologram, knowing that it would cause trouble if I didn't. Truth be told, I was exhausted. I had never attempted to raise a hologram within a hologram before.

I accessed the Chee-net apprehensively.

-_Kevin?-_

_-Erek? What is it?_-

I drew a deep breath, glancing at the frightened humans as I did so. _–Um, Kevin, I have a little problem. You see, I took Tobias to the Sharing, and…-_

He instantly knew. _**–**__He knows?-_

-_**They**__ know, Kevin, - _I replied bluntly.

I heard the inward sigh in his speech. –_Erek, how could you?-_

I was suddenly angry, for no apparent reason. _–Look, it was an accident, okay? -_ I sighed. _–I've got them with me right now, and I'm bringing them down. I'll fill you in when we get there, okay?_

Silence within the 'net.

"Okay, then," I muttered out loud. Well, this was going to be fun.

"Erek?" Tobias asked suddenly. I turned to him, making my holographic face as blank as possible. Seeing my look, his eyes fell to the floor.

"Never mind," he mumbled.

I shook my head, a human gesture I had picked up over the years. _Way to blow it, Erek,_ I thought, using the human name I had taken to calling myself. I never forgot, but it was best to leave things like Pemalite names in the past with our dead planet.

"Tobias…" I said, looking at him carefully. He raised his eyes to meet mine. I groaned inwardly. Why, oh, why did he have to have a face like that? You know, the one that looks like a kicked puppy?

I touched his shoulder. "Look," I said. "I'm going to fix this. Don't worry."

He looked at me, eyes so terribly trusting it threatened to crush me.

And inside, a voice viciously threw a single word at me that stabbed worse than any violent action ever could.

_Liar._


	15. Thought

Aximili looked nervously at the large shark in the air-lock. Hesitantly, he reached out a hand to acquire it, then drew back as it snapped its razor-sharp teeth in the shallow water.

I had to suppress a totally human laugh at the young Andalite. From what I had seen so far, he was rather… clumsy.

Aximili shot me a look full of daggers. (I would like to see you try it,) he muttered grumpily.

This time I did laugh. "I would, but I can't. I'm a _nothlit_," I explained.

He froze, then relaxed. (As I had assumed,) he replied, once again trying to acquire the restless shark. It seemed that every time he reached to touch it, it would jerk back and slap its tail at him.

I moved closer. "Try touching it just long enough to get it under the trance. Then we'll let it back out into the water," I suggested.

Aximili looked at me as if I were mad. (But this creature is dangerous!) he exclaimed.

I shrugged. "Humans have progressed since the eighteenth century, you know," I commented. "They are perfectly capable of defending themselves against the dangers of their own world."

He gave the telepathic equivalent of a snort. (Humans are little more than savages,) he noted with disdain. Then he obviously remembered just who he was talking to. (I apologise,) he muttered.

I crossed my arms. "Aximili, humans may be primitive technologically wise, but there is much we can learn from these people."

(You are biased,) he replied. (You live and work with them on a daily basis, as you have said.) He paused, obviously considering his next words.

"Speak your mind, brother," I said, the word feeling strange on my tongue.

He hesitated. (Do you never miss the company of your own people, Elfangor?) he blurted finally. (I have been out in deep space for four months, and I must admit to a small amount of… homesickness.) He spat out the word as if it had a bitter taste. (But you… you have been gone far longer than that.)

I nodded, thinking of the nights spent looking out at the stars, wondering, wishing, knowing that I would never see my family again. "I have come to see the humans as my own people." I replied. "As for the homesickness…with time, one becomes accustomed to it," I lied, my voice neutral.

Aximili frowned slightly, then again reached out toward the shark. (Aha!) he exclaimed exuberantly as his hand finally came to a rest on the beast's gills, causing it to fall into the acquiring trance. (I have it!)

I smiled. Andalite children were really not so different from human children, after all.

As he let go his hand on the shark, he turned to me with what almost could have been a smirk. (Your turn,) he said.

I looked at him skeptically. "You forget, Aximili, that I am a _nothlit_."

His eyes shone with excitement. (No longer, Elfangor.)

I blinked, confused. "I do not understand. Explain," I ordered.

With the Andalite version of a smile, he went back into the centre of the dome. In a few moments, he returned, a small blue box in his hands.

I sighed, recognizing it. "Have you forgotten your biology-physics?" I asked. "When one has become a _nothlit,_ there is no turning back."

He held out the Escifal device almost pleadingly. (Try it, Elfangor,)

I shrugged, and place my hand on the box. To my surprise, I felt the familiar tingle run up and down my arms as I absorbed the morphing power.

I jumped back in shock, my whole arm trembling. "Explain," I repeated hoarsely.

Aximili was looking at me with concern. (Are you all right?)

"Explain!"

His eyes wide, Aximili complied. (I had suspected that you had been trapped in the body of a human,) he said, (and surmised that once I had found you and taken you home, you would wish to have your old body back. I therefore began to work on a device that would give you back your morphing powers. I found that is was far simpler than the Andalite scientists had first believed. Instead of trying to find a way to give one back their morphing powers, I looked at it as if I were curing a disease, or allergy. I isolated the germ that was the morphing allergy, and found a way to destroy it. I tested it, and realised that it would work also for those trapped in another form, not only giving them a second chance to morph, but also giving them back all of their previously acquired morphs, including their former body.) Aximili's whole face practically glowed with pride.

My hands clenched into fists. "You tricked me," I said slowly.

(What?) His thought-speech sounded shocked.

"Humans do not morph," I said, anger rising within me. "You have forced that ability back on me. I have explained to you that I am human, that I wish to be human and stay among them as my adopted people, and still you try to make me what I am not!"

Aximili blinked and involuntarily took a step backward. (You are not human, Elfangor,) he protested. (You are as Andalite as I am!)

I drew a breath, calmed myself. "Come," I said curtly. I began to put my gear back on. A cool Andalite hand on my arm stopped me.

(You do not have to that,) Aximili said.

I paused for a moment. Then I continued slipping into the gear, placing the mask over my eyes, veiling them.

Silence reigned as I carefully slid into the diving gear. I felt Aximili's eyes on me, but ignored him, finally meeting his gaze when I was ready to depart.

I could not speak because of the respirator in my mouth, but as I leapt out into the icy water, I heard Aximili's voice in my head, saying, (You are what you are, Elfangor; no one can change that, least of all you yourself. But you can always change _who_ you are. I hope for your sake that you make the right choice.)


	16. Known

Visser Three's POV

(Incompetent idiots!) I hissed.

I glared at the four imbeciles before me, wanting nothing more than to watch them bleed, slowly, and die a long, painful death. (You let her get away. She was a simple human girl! How could you let that happen?)

One of the idiots spoke up. "But Visser, we-"

Without a word, my tail snapped forward. In the next second, his head was rolling on the cement floor.

(Dispose of him,) I said disgustedly to a nearby Hork-Bajir host.

I looked at the remaining three. Sub-visser Fifty-One, Temrash 114 and Alkahr 5901 blinked at me stupidly, like the Earth cows. Temrash 114 and Sub-visser Fifty-One were the only ones I needed to see. Alkahr 5901 had requested an audience with me, however. The idiots were most usually referred to by their hosts' names, in case of Andalite spies, who, excluding the last so-called battle, - a slaughter, really- had not engaged on the Yeerk Empire for over two years. It was as if they had decided that the primitive Earthers were not worth saving.

Knowing the Andalites as I do, that was probably their exact reasoning. Once an Andalite understood that there was know possible way to win, they backed off to save their honour. There was no point in dying when one could live.

I took a step forward, closing in on Temrash 114, host name Tom Berenson. (Explain,) I ordered curtly.

Berenson straightened quickly, standing almost at attention. I smirked inwardly at this ridiculous pose.

"Sir, Kilik 8772 and I were in the process of capturing the human woman, as ordered, when an object of unknown machinery appeared. In the next instant, there was nothing before us. The woman and the human teenage boy standing next to her were simply gone!"

I frowned. (This human boy… do you know who he is?) I asked. So far, no one had been able to recognize the woman, though something about her seemed terribly familiar to me. But this boy…

Tom nodded. "Yes, sir. His name is Tobias Fangor. He is a friend of my host's brother's."

(Then it should not be too difficult to find him,) I said. Beside Tom, Alkahr 5901 stiffened slightly. I took a step closer to her. (Yes, Alkahr?)

Alkahr's human host bit her lip. "Visser, I know the human boy and his father personally. I could easily help you capture both of them."

I smiled. (Perfect,) I said to her. Then I leaned closer, mentally whispering, (_Do not_ bring me anymore mistakes, Alkahr. That is something I will not tolerate. Understand?)

"Understood, sir," she breathed.

I smiled. (Good,) I said, drawing back. Alkahr 5901 had recently been stripped of her rank after her failure to expose several Yeerks who we believed to be part of the so-called Peace Movement. Not only had she failed, she had succeeded in bringing our suspicions out in the open, giving the traitors a chance to hide themselves.

I had my suspicions about her, as well. She seemed far too sentimental and caring for a Yeerk who had once been called Sub-visser 17. To think that anyone could have obeyed orders given by her was pure madness.

(Sub-visser Fifty-One.) I addressed the young Yeerk who was currently residing in a human adolescent named Taylor. (You are in charge of Alkahr 5901 until further notice. Keep her from ruining this. Keep it quiet,) I ordered. She looked vaguely disappointed. I understood. Taylor was one of my most trusted subordinates. This assignment was nothing. She was simply baby-sitting for another Yeerk.

(Dismissed,) I said, nodding to them. Taylor nodded and turned, though I could hear her whispering to Alkahr, "If you do anything that will lower me in the eyes of the Visser, Sherry, I swear I will…"

Tom, however, was lingering. "Visser, may I speak with you?"

(Speak,) I said, not really interested.

Tom drew a breath. "Sir, it has come to my attention that there is a great number of loyal Yeerks who are in need of promotion, and yet you refuse to run them through with the Council of Thirteen." He paused, hesitated. "I myself am included on that list."

I felt the Anger rise up in me again. How dare he question my authority? (Temrash, do you even know the guidelines for promotion?)

He swallowed. "Not all of them, no, sir."

(Then allow me to enlighten you. One: this Yeerk must be faithful and loyal to the Empire. Two: this Yeerk must have successfully completed several missions without failure. Three: this Yeerk must ably show their command abilities and tactics through battle with at least one Andalite ship.) I leaned closer. (How many Yeerks on that list of yours have completed all of these in the past two years, Temrash?) I asked.

Again, he swallowed. "Sir, request that the guidelines be changed. The Andalites are no longer a threat."

I sighed wearily, the Anger gone as soon as it had come. (What do I look like to you, the Council of Thirteen? I am included as one in need of promotion, Temrash.) I waved a hand at him. (Dismissed.)

With a nod, Tom left the Meeting Room in the pool and left alone in my thoughts.

How I wished for the days long ago, when the Andalites at least put up a fight! A good battle was just what I needed to shake me of my morbid mood.

For years, the Andalites had been slowly backing off, their battles poor and quick. And now, they did not seem to care at all. Oh, there were a few skirmishes here and there, like at Leera, or a couple of raids on the Hork-Bajir homeworld, but nothing here, where the Yeerk Empire posed the greatest threat. It seemed that the Andalites did not care for the humans, after all.

I almost smiled, thinking of the one Andalite I knew who actually did care for these savages. The one I had destroyed in battle. Elfangor was his name, if I recalled correctly. An Andalite adolescent, not yet old enough to wear a Warrior's title.

(And you felt so great once you killed him, as if it were some great accomplishment,) Alloran's voice came bitterly.

I felt the smile play in my eyes. (Was it not? That student of yours was very stubborn, Alloran.)

(He was a child!)Alloran exploded. (You had no right to kill him, or that human woman, either!)

(And you had no right to kill the hundreds of Hork-Bajir on that planet, yet you did,) I replied, genuinely enjoying myself. Alloran was easy enough to quiet, but I enjoyed our arguments. They provided distraction.

(I know,) he whispered. (But at least I understand what I did wrong, now. You are nothing but a cold-blooded murderer!)

(You forget, Andalite, that it is you who are doing this. I am in control of your body.)

Alloran was silent. Then, (I know what you are thinking, Yeerk scum. If you kill her, you will be demoted to hoof-picker,) he said coldly.

Startled, I felt a tug of curiosity and blurted (What?) before I could think.

(Edriss 562. Sub-visser Twenty-Eight. You have been distracted these days. I know your thoughts regarding her.)

I snorted. (You know nothing, Alloran. Besides, no one would care if a lowly Sub-visser suddenly disappeared.)

(Regardless of her rank, she has a great influence on the Council of Thirteen. Do you not wonder where she gets her information, Esplin? Her death would be of certain… curiosity to your superiors,) he replied.

(Silence, Alloran!) I snapped.

(What, do you not like to face the truth, Yeerk?) he taunted. Then, almost as a whisper, (That is not all I know. I also know of your past history with-)

(Silence!) I nearly screamed.

(Make me,) he said smugly. (All you need is one memory dump and you will be charge with fraternization with your subordinates.)

I felt my weak Andalite arms clench into fists. (You know nothing, Alloran,) I hissed.

(Don't I?) he asked mildly. And then he was silent.


	17. Shown

**Elfangor's POV  
**

I emerged gratefully from the ocean, water dripping down my face. I took a brief moment to pull a hand through my soaking wet hair, looking around. It was late at night and the beach was deserted, save for one stray dog.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I called to my companion. (It's clear.) There was a pause before his now-Andalite head popped out from the water. His stalk eyes swiveled warily, searching.

"It's okay," I whispered reassuringly.

Aximili hesitated, then pulled himself from the water to stand beside me, his hooves lightly imprinting the damp sand. (You are certain?)

"Yes."

I had briefed the young Andalite on our way to the surface, making sure he completely understood that no matter what happened, he must not be seen. The Yeerks were everywhere, and I was sure at least one would notice a large Andalite romping through the sand dunes.

For a moment, I knelt in the sand, wondering what to do. Where could I keep him until we found a suitable ship?

There was a slick, damp hand on my face, then. I looked up into Aximili's eyes and nodded my understanding. For now, anyway, he would have to take my form. I could introduce him as my twin, if I had to. It would be awkward, but far safer than having him around in his natural state, that was for certain.

I felt myself drift off, suddenly exhausted as the acquiring process began. After a few seconds, his hand left my face. My brace gone, I allowed my head to droop for an instant. Then I jerked up, a sudden blast of pain tearing up my insides. I struggled not to cry out in the silence.  
Aximili noticed, but he had already begun the morph, and it was imperative that he finish for fear of someone seeing him. By the time he was done, the momentary pain was gone.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly, by instinct using his new mouth. He bent over me, then suddenly knelt to the ground. His eyes registered his surprise at the action, but he continued to look at me with concern.

"I am fine," I replied, blinking. What had happened?

Aximili was frowning, a totally involuntary expression. "Have you been ill lately?" he asked.

I hadn't been sick at all here on this planet. "No."

"Any injuries?"

"None."

He pressed his lips together and shrugged. "It must be something to do with being human," he decided finally. A strange little smile appeared on his face. "Human. Hew-mon. Hew-man. M. Mmmmm."

I laughed. "You should not do that when other humans are present," I warned him. "They will think it strange."

He nodded, another involuntary gesture. I smiled, pleased. It seemed strange, watching my own face make so many different expressions. Yet he was trying out the morph. Perhaps he would be able to accept my choice better this way.

There was a sound from further down the beach. Night-shift security guards! I quickly grabbed my equipment and tore through the dunes. It was only a moment later that I realized that behind me Aximili was having difficulties finding his balance in his new morph. "Rely on instinct, Aximili!" I called. He blinked, then did as I said.

Humans have a certain part within them called an adrenal gland. When faced with danger or fear, a fluid called adrenaline shoots though this gland, causing something called the "fight or flight" instinct.

Flight definitely was what my instincts were telling me to do now. Aximili was very probably feeling the same.

He picked up his feet and ran, stumbling once or twice at first, but for the most part fairly gracefully. I breathed a silent sigh of relief as he caught up to me and we exited the beach. I really, really did not want to have to explain why I was running around like a lunatic at night with a man identical to myself, who also happened to be naked.

"Come," I said once we had reached a safe distance. Aximili was breathing heavily, unused to human lungs. "We will go to my house. You can stay there until I find you a ship." I handed him my clothing. I had stashed it behind an old rotting tree to wear home, but it was readily apparent Aximili would need it more than I. I would simply have to return in my wet gear.

I almost smiled as I watched him struggle into the clothing, ("No, Aximili, shoes go on your feet, not you head,"), remembering a time when Loren looked upon me with equal amusement. My face darkened at the thought of my wife. How would I explain Aximili to her? I could introduce him as a business associate once he had acquired another human morph, but it was late, and there were very few humans about to acquire without making it look like an assault.

I sighed. Perhaps she would already be asleep...

There was a sudden loud barking, very close to our location. Aximili looked at me, an odd expression on his face. "What is that noise? Nois-zuh. Zzzzz."

"Relax. It's just a dog," I said distractedly.

"A what?"

I turned to face him. "An Earth animal." An idea suddenly popped into my head. What if Aximili were to acquire the dog? I could bring him home as a "stray". Loren and Tobias certainly would not object.

"Come," I said, grabbing his arm. "You can acquire it."

Aximili looked puzzled, but shrugged and followed me.

The persistent barking was growing steadily louder as we approached. The louder it got, the more I become conscious of the fact that it was in distress. That worried me. Cruelty to any creature was abhorrent to me. It was the reason I had fled to Earth, to escape cruelty and death and pain.

Of course, here I had had my own fair share of pain, but I could stand it. Tobias was a good son, and I still loved Loren more than anything. Her disabilities hadn't changed that. It was simply a more restrained love, I realized. Keeping secrets from her had never been easy.  
The sound suddenly stopped as we reached a large gnarly tree, vaguely reminiscent of the trees back h… on the Andalite homeworld. Then, slowly, a dog began to limp out from behind, its head drooping slightly.

I froze. No, it couldn't be…

I motioned Aximili to stand back and moved closer to inspect the large German Shepherd. In the dark, it was hard to see clearly, but as I ran a hand along its back, I definitely felt the bulk of a harness. A harness I recognized.

"Champ!" I exclaimed. I swallowed, intensely concerned. And yes, worried. Champ never went anywhere without Loren. Loren needed him, and he had a firm sense of duty within him. He would never voluntarily abandon her.

So what was he doing wandering around the beach parking lot at night?

I bit back a gasp as another brief jolt of pain blackened my vision for an instant. I blinked, and all was normal again.

"You know this creature?" Aximili was asking. I nodded mutely.

"Humans keep certain creatures as domesticated animals. Dogs are one of many such creatures. This dog, however," I said, gesturing to the injured Champ, "is a certain type of dog, bred to help the _vecols _of Earth society."

Aximili frowned. "I see," he said, though clearly he did not.

I sighed and stroked Champ's soft head, attempting to soothe the agitated canine. "This is Champ," I said softly. Then, even softer, "My wife's dog."

Aximili simply stared at me. "Your _wife_ is a _vecol_?"he asked incredulously.

I nodded, allowing him time for this to register. Shocking enough that _vecols_ were allowed in everyday society, even more that I, a former Andalite, had taken one as my wife.

"…_Why?_" he blurted at last in confusion. I sighed.

"Why does it matter, Aximili?" I asked wearily. "She is my wife, and I love her. That is all you need to know."

His eyes narrowed. "Does she even know of your true nature, Elfangor?" he asked suspiciously.

I froze.

Aximili regarded me closely. "If you love her so much, why keep secrets from her?"

"You forget, she was with me before I returned to Earth," I managed, trying to discourage him from this line of questioning. "She witnessed everything I did."

"Things change," he murmured.

I drew a breath. "We must go," I said abruptly. At his puzzled look, I explained, "Loren is blind. She cannot go anywhere without Champ, and he never leaves her. I am unsure of what has happened."

He nodded. "Then we shall go."

o0o0o0o

"Loren?" I called, opening the door to my home. "Lore? You in here?"

Silence.

"Tobias? Loren!"

"It appears they are not here," Aximili said. "Do you know where they might be?"

It was 9:00 pm. Tobias knew I didn't allow him to stay out past 8:00. Where were they?

I closed my eyes. "Tobias may be at Kevin's. I suppose we should check there." I loosened my hold on Champ's harness. "You should morph him. The Kings' are close friends of ours, and wouldn't believe any explanation I have for you."

Aximili nodded, and placed his hand on the dog's head. His eyes closed as the acquiring process began.

I let out a breath and sat down in a chair at the table. Closed my eyes. Gasped out loud as an intense wave of pain came over me. And completely blacked out.

When I opened my eyes again, Aximili was standing over me, his eyes wide with concern. "Elfangor?" he asked worriedly.  
I blinked, bringing the objects around me into focus. "I- I'm alright," I stammered.

He looked at me for another moment before coming to the decision, "No. You are not."

I think I tried to answer, but all that escaped my lips was a cry of pain as my stomach seemed to explode. And suddenly I was aware of fur bristling on my neck and arms.

Blue fur.

I was morphing.

Alarmed, I focused all my concentration on stopping, to no avail. I jerked up as I felt one stalk eye slowly push its way out the top of my head.

And then it stopped.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief and focused on changing back to human form. Then I turned and glared at Aximili.  
"What exactly did you test this new piece of technology on?"

He swallowed, knowing what was coming. "Uh… holograms."

I tried very hard not to yell. "Aximili, you know as well as I that unless technology has vastly, vastly improved in my absence that holographic test-runs are not to be trusted!"

He bit his lower lip. "Yes."

I sighed. "Ax, Ax, Ax," I said, shortening his name to something more easily pronounced. I had a feeling I was to be using it a lot in my lecture, and did not _like_ the idea of tying my tongue in a knot. I took a breath to begin and was gripped with yet another spasm of pain. For a moment, my perception of colour changed as my eyes morphed to Andalite, and then my own weak human eyes replaced them.

"This is not good," Aximili murmured.

"Aximili, you have a unprecedented talent for understatement," I growled.

I closed my eyes tightly and assured myself that all my faculties were in my complete control. Then I turned to the young Andalite. "Morph. We're going to find Loren, and we're going to do it now."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry, guys, for some reason this chapter was deleted from , as well as Chapter 19. I'm just reposting it now, and I'll post Chapter 19 again as soon as I can. I have the next chapter written already, and I'll probably post it sometime this week. Huzzah.**

**See you next chapter!  
**


	18. Frozen

_Tobias's POV_

"It's okay, Loren," I kept whispering. "It's okay, it's okay…"

"It's okay, it's okay," is what was murmured as we tread softly up the steps into Erek's home. "It's okay, it's okay," was the reassurance I gave when we passed by the eternal-television and Loren jumped at the sudden noise.

But when we entered the room that leads to the basement, I suddenly stopped. Because I was a horrible liar, and I knew it.

I was scared.

Somebody, something was messing with us. And somehow, my best friend was involved with them. It.

For all I knew, my best friend _was_ an It.

I had never been in Erek's basement, which I suppose is kind of weird, since I spend the majority of my life in his house. But compared to what had been happening around here in the past hour, nothing was weird.

I looked around, seeing nothing but a couple of stairs leading into the basement. I wanted to ask Erek something, anything, just to make this all make sense. But I stayed quiet.

The next thing I knew, the floor was dropping beneath us.

"Whoa!" I gasped as the roof disappeared. It was just gone, like it had never been there in the first place. Only darkness replaced it.

Okay, that was… unexpected. Weird? Nope. Definitely not.

Loren squeezed my hand tightly, afraid. Despite my initial shock, I returned the pressure, hoping to reassure her somewhat.

"Erek, what's happening?" I whispered. Don't me why I was whispering. It just felt like a whispering situation, I guess.

"You'll see," he whispered back.

The elevator/staircase came to an abrupt halt. I gasped.

Where there had once been a hallway leading to several different rooms like any other basement, there now lay a long corridor ending abruptly in a dark wall. As we watched, that wall disappeared, revealing something amazing.

"Whoa," I stammered, gripping Loren's hand tightly. "Erek, what- what is this?"

He turned to me grinning, the first real smile I had seen on his face since we had left for the Sharing. "Welcome to my home," he said softly.

Before us lay a vast meadow, green grass sprouting up from the ground, flowers blooming like crazy. There was a light source coming from somewhere, but I wasn't looking for it. Hundreds of dogs- yes, dogs, were running about, yelping and barking in total contentment.

But what the eye was more immediately drawn to was not the fact that somehow, there was an underground park, nor the many dogs, but the dogs' masters.

Beings that vaguely resembled dogs walking on their hind legs. Beings that wore contented smiles wide across their face. Beings that seemed to be made entirely of ivory and steel.

Aliens. Robots.

I drew a breath and Loren tensed beside me. "What is it, Tobias?" she whispered.

I bit my lip. "Loren, you're not going to believe this…."

And I told her. I showed her every detail with my words, my voice. I watched her face change in awe and wonder, like a two-year-old seeing Christmas lights for the first time.

Erek was watching us, his own face blank. As I felt his eyes sweep over my mother and I, I froze. Released Loren's hand and walked over to him.

"Erek," I said softly. He bowed his head.

"Yes, Tobias."

And suddenly, the face, the boy I knew as Erek King disappeared, and was replaced by a milky white- glinting silver creature.

I didn't mean to draw back. But still, I did.

"What's happening?" I asked, words I heard so often from Loren falling from my lips. "What is this? Dang it, Erek, tell me _something_!"

Erek remained silent. I drew closer, grabbing what looked to be his shoulders and shaking him. "Who are you, Erek? What are you?"

Erek- or whoever he was- was much shorter than I remembered. But his body was far from flimsy or weak.

In a flash of movement, his small, metallic arm reached up to grip mine. Tightly. It didn't hurt exactly, but I could feel the pressure pressing down on my arm.

He was silent for a moment. Then, in low, soft tones, my- robot- friend began to explain.

Everything.

He told us about the Pemalites. How they were such a peaceful species, living for sake of living, loving laughter and learning about the galaxy around them. He told us how they had created a race of androids called the Chee, who were meant to serve but never to harm. He told us of the happiness and peace on the Pemalite homeworld.

He told us about the Howlers, how they destroyed everything in their paths. He told how they had come across the gentle Pemalites and annihilated them, his masters having left any sort of violence behind them long ago. He told how even after the Pemalites had run, the Howlers still killed with their deadly disease.

He told us how the Chee, battered and beaten had found Earth and a primitive species called humans, and had made their lives here. He told how they had merged the Pemalites' spirits into wolves, creating dogs. He told how the Chee dedicated their lives to protecting the last memory they had of their masters.

He did not tell us how much it hurt to sit there, watching his beloved masters die before his eyes, unable to do anything. He did not say how it felt to look in the eyes of any stray dog, beaten, abused, and see the light that was once in his master's eyes shining from an animal's. He did not tell us about the pain of knowing he could look but not touch, could not ever speak to and understand his masters again. He did not tells us what it was like living a literal lie, and how it hurt to live and watch his friends die again and again.

He didn't tell us those things. But I had known Erek all of my life, and even with those expressionless metallic eyes he now wore, I saw, and understood.

It was Loren who finally asked the most prudent question. "What does this all have to do with us?"

Erek closed his eyes, and his human hologram flickered back on. I was relieved, to tell the truth. Seeing him in his natural form was way too… Not weird. Strange. "A few years ago, we became aware of another race, one called the Yeerks. They are a parasitic species, requiring a host body to see and taste and move. In their basic form, they resemble slugs. But they are far more dangerous. They came to Earth in search of host bodies."

"The Sharing," I said, not believing I was really going along with this. "Those are Yeerks?"

Loren was nodding. "I've heard that word before. Yeerk. That's what they were talking about when they saw me."

Erek drew a breath. "Loren, you need to tell us everything you heard."

She bit her lip. "There were a lot of things being said about 'Vissers' and 'Sub-vissers' and Yeerk Empire and promotions and stuff. Then the guy came out and saw me, and I- I think he shot another guy. I-I don't really remember. It all happened so fast."

Erek sighed. "So that's why they were after you. You overheard them talking, and because you…" he hesitated. Then he decided to just say it. "Because you are blind, they decided you wouldn't make a suitable host body, and decided to shoot you instead. But then Tobias got involved, and I came along…" He looked at her, his voice trailing off. "Loren, you should be thankful," he finally blurted. "Your blindness may have been the only thing that saved you from having a slimy slug shoved inside your head."

"Gross," was all she said. "Is that how they do it?"

He looked at her for a moment, as if about to say something more. But he didn't.

"Hey, so who is stopping these Yeerk guys, anyway?" I asked, mildly worried. "If you guys can't, because you're programmed for non-violence, are you telling us we're all alone out here?"

Erek bit his lip. Well, I guess he didn't, really, because that wasn't even his real lip. It was a hologram.

"No," he said finally. "You're not totally alone. You see, there's one other species I haven't mentioned yet…."


	19. Heard

**Tobias' POV**

Okay, so, to be honest, it really was fun to be down in the Chee-cave. I've always been more of a cat-person, I guess, but those dogs grow on you. And the Chee were very hospitable. Very, _very_ hospitable. And watching holograms with Ax instead of regular TV is like eating gourmet steak instead of a peanut butter sandwich. All the same, it was three months.

Three months of no school, no homework, no teachers.

Three months away from my bed, my home, my computer.

Three months of absolutely no human contact besides Loren.

I needed out.

"Come on, Erek," I pleaded. I was about that far away from getting on my hands and knees. Erek, to his credit, just looked at me pityingly.

"Is it really that hard to live without video games?" he asked, fiddling with a blade of grass. He hadn't looked at me for the entire length of our conversation. I could understand, of course; we hadn't exactly been talking lately. But it is kind of hard to do doe-eyes on a guy who refuses to make eye-contact with you.

I sighed and stretched back on the grass. Loren was a few dozen meters away, laughing as Champ licked her face. Dad was standing protectively behind them. Ax was off somewhere feeding. It wasn't a bad life. "No," I replied grudgingly, "I just need breathing space, you know? Come on," I continued, rolling over to look at him. "Just an hour. Please?"

"No."

"Erek-"

He whirled on me. "Tobias, do you realize what could happen if I took you outside? Even just for an hour?"

I started to reply, but he continued on, oblivious.

"The Yeerks would find you almost instantly. They have people everywhere- you know that. From you they would follow you here, and not only would they find your family, but they would find us. Once they find out the Chee are useless in battle, they'll just destroy us, and it will be the Pemalite Homeworld all over again." He paused for a breath. "Do you understand, now?"

I looked down at my hands. Sure, I understood. I understood perfectly well. But was I seriously expected to live here for the rest of my life? Cooped up here, not allowed to see anyone I knew ever again?

"I understand," I said quietly. "Sorry."

His holographic expression softened. "Me too. I shouldn't have lost it like that." He picked at his shoe for a minute, then grinned suddenly. "I really did go a little nuts, didn't I?"

I laughed and shoved him. "A little," I agreed. It was hard to believe he was a being thousands of years old when he acted like _that_.

"Besides, aren't we good enough company for you down here?" Erek asked slyly, leaning back against the tree.

I nodded. They really were. The Chee were probably the nicest, most generous people I had met. "It was a stupid idea," I told Erek mournfully. "Just forget I said anything."

But he didn't reply, just went back to picking at his shoe.

"Tobias, Erek, if you guys want supper, you'd better come upstairs now!" Kevin called from across the field.

Erek rolled his holographic eyes. "Pemalite food was _so_ much better," he muttered.

I snorted at that. "Like you need food anyway."

"Of course I need food! It keeps me strong and healthy, and Dad says if I eat enough veggies, I might grow as tall as him someday!"

I felt a grin tug at the ends of my mouth. "Because you _love_ eating vegetables so much, right Erek? Hey, race you upstairs!" Before he could say anything, I took off through the grass.

Personally, I would have preferred to keep the mood light and happy like that. It was the first time in a long time that I had really smiled. But suddenly Erek was behind me, holographic eyes boring into the back of my head.

I stopped, turned. "What?"

His eyes flicked to his shoes. "Hey, Tobias. We're cool, right?"

He was still trying to make amends. He had saved my life, I had treated him like crap for three months, and he still thought it was his fault. I swallowed.

"Yeah, man. Come on, let's go pig out."

o0o0o0o

After supper, Erek and I flopped down on the couch in his living room to watch some TV. There was some news on, an old episode of Spongebob, some Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel. We flipped past the Sci-Fi channel without a word. Who needed stories about alien wars when you had one going on in your own home?

When Mr. King went back downstairs to feed the dogs, Erek suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked me behind the couch. "Ouch!" I complained, startled. "What was that for?"

He put a finger to his lips. "Quiet," he whispered.

I sighed. "What for?"

His eyes darted back and forth warily. "Look, I've been thinking," he began. "And I think you're right. You do need to get out for awhile. So I'm going to make a hologram around us, and we are going to the arcade." He gave me a grin. "Just like old times, right?"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I whispered back. "I mean, what if the Yeerks..."

Erek shook his head. "The Yeerks won't get us. The hologram will protect us, remember?"

I blinked. A chance to go outside. To see places I hadn't seen in three months. I wanted it more than I thought was possible.

But Erek had said...

"Erek, look," I began, eyes sliding to the stuffing escaping the end of the couch, "I said forget it. It doesn't matter, okay?"

"Yes, it does." His face was suddenly animated, voice urgent. "You were right, that you need some space. But you were arguing the point for the wrong reasons."

Wrong reasons? What-?

Erek drew a breath. "Look, the Chee are a great people, but the Yeerks are out there, destroying this world, and we're doing nothing."

"That doesn't mean anything," I interrupted, not liking where this was going. "You were programmed-"

But he was already shaking his head. "We can change that programming, if we really want to. I'm not saying we do," he said hastily, seeing my look, "but we're capable of it. The thing is, we're just ignoring the problem. We always do. With the Yeerks, with you, even with the Pemalites."

I couldn't keep myself from staring disbelievingly. "Erek..."  
"We know that the Yeerks are after you, but we aren't _doing_ anything about it," he continued frustratedly, as if I had said nothing. "We're just going to let them chase you until they eventually find you, because we don't have the guts to do anything else. You could be stuck down here for the rest of your life, but we don't care as long as we don't have to stand up to adversity."

I licked my lips, taking a moment to register his words. This was more than me, I realized. I was just the excuse Erek needed to make his beliefs known. This 'problem' of theirs had bothered him for a long time.

"You want to fight," I said quietly, getting to the heart of the issue. He looked at me unblinkingly.

"In a sense, yes," he replied, finally breaking eye-contact. "I don't want to commit violence, but I am sick of being walked over simply because I am incapable of hurting anyone."

So that's what it was. I fiddled with the stuffing on the back of the couch. I hoped the Kings' didn't mind.

I frowned for a moment, then looked back up at Erek. He was staring at me intently.

"Okay," I said at last. "Let's do it."

* * *

**A/N: Umm...**

**Okay, I am so sorry for the late update. I really have no idea what was wrong with me, and I have no excuses for you. I guess I was being a lazy bum or something. Sorry!**

**So, it's been almost a year. I have no idea if anyone is reading this story anymore, so if you are please review! You can tell me how stupid I am or whatever. I really don't care haha.**

**It's the middle of midterms right now, so I can't say how soon I can update. I'm kind of not doing so well in school right now *laughs*.**

**I'll update when I can, but no promises. But please, R&R!  
**


	20. Played

**Tobias's POV**

Thankfully for us, there were other Chee that shared Erek's beliefs, and were more than willing to help us in our noble quest. We had to be very careful to slip past Maria, however. I swear, that woman was like Lady Macbeth reincarnated. I actually said as much to Erek, who just smirked and said that Shakespeare was inspired by her.

I still don't know whether he was kidding or not.

When Dad and Mr. King went to work the next day, we made our way upstairs as quietly as we could, hoping not to wake Loren, who was still asleep on the couch. Erek had already placed a hologram around us that he would change once we got out on the street, and again when we reached the mall.

Just as we were about to slip out the front door, however, there was a large crash and a quiet (Oops,) behind us.

We turned at the same time to see Ax, standing over a broken vase with a mildly sheepish expression on his mouthless face.

"Axmili!" Erek hissed, dropping the hologram on reflex. "What are you doing?"

The Andalite shrugged. (I could ask the same of you,) he stated accusingly.

Erek actually looked stumped. "Um, well, we…"

"We were just taking out the garbage," I offered for him. At his look, I shrugged and mouthed, _"What did you expect?"_

Ax actually seemed to consider this. (If I morph, may I come with?) he asked curiously. (I haven't had much chance to see this new planet.)

"Oh, no, no, no," Erek said instantly. "That would seriously not be a good idea."

The alien gave us a puzzled look. (Why not?)

"Um…"

"Taking out the garbage is a sacred tradition for humans," I said quickly. Man, I was getting good at this. "One reserved only for human adolescents."

(Erek is not human.)

"Yeah, but I _look_ human," the Chee stressed. "And I've been posing as a human for thousands of years."

(So it is a matter of length being human?) Ax asked, looking puzzled.

Erek and I shared a look. "Yeah," he said. "We'll go with that."

The Andalite took a step back, contemplating the information we had given him. I gulped, hoping he would just go with it. Ax was a great guy, but he definitely wasn't the kind of person you'd want to be seen with in public. Even if he _was_ human.

(But why is Tobias going with you?) he asked Erek. (You know it is a risk to take him outside.)

Erek scuffed his holographic sneakers. "Well, sure," he replied, licking his lips. I could almost see the wheels in his head turning. "But see, Tobias and I haven't been able to share this experience in three months. We thought it was worth the risk," he concluded, catching my eye with a helpless expression.

_For God's sake,_ I thought crazily,_ he's making it sound like we're engaged!_

Ax looked at us for a long time. (You're lying,) he decided finally.

"Yeah," I answered in a defeated voice, just as Erek proclaimed, "Of course not!"

(Where are you going?)

"Arcade."

"To the Garbage Monastery!"

Ax ignored Erek's blatant lies. (What is an 'arcade'?) he asked me curiously.

"Where we worship all things garbage, obviously," Erek muttered under his breath.

I shoved him, grinning. "A place to play video games, actually," I corrected, realizing I was probably only fueling the alien's curiosity. Before he could ask, I added, "A video game is sorta like watching a holo-vid, only two-dimensional."

Ax's main eyes widened. (Two-dimensional?) he repeated incredulously.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty lame, but it's what we humans do to entertain ourselves. Before video games came out, we pretty much sat on our butts and did nothing."

(I'm sure,) he said absently. Probably still stuck on the idea of two-dimensional entertainment.

Erek sighed and ran a hand through his holographic hair. "Tobias wanted to go outside, and I figured it wouldn't hurt just this once. So, in other words, adios!" He grabbed my arm and swung open the door. "Come on, Tobias."

(May I go with you?)

We froze. Looked at each other. "No," we answered in unison. Erek took a quick step outside. "Feel that sunshine on your face, eh, Tobias?"

But I didn't move. Instead, I stood in the doorway, looking back at Ax. The Andalite still looked confused, stalk-eyes wavering in the air. I can't exactly read alien expressions very well, but I had to put a name to his, I'd probably say he looked like a 4-year-old just told he can't play with the big kids.

I sighed. "Come on, Ax, let's go get you a proper human morph."

o0o0o0o

"I do not see the point of this," Ax muttered in frustration. "Poin-tuh. Pooooiiin. Tuuuuhh."

I laughed. "No, no, Ax, you got it all wrong. You got to run over the life-cube to get free life-points. You can't just skip it."

"But the life-cube and the crash-cube look nearly identical," he complained. "How am I to tell the difference when the screen is moving so fast?"

"The life-cube is green and then yellow. The crash-cube has the same colours, yeah, but they're inverted," I explained, tossing a grin to Erek. The android scowled.

"Why don't you just finish for him, Tobias?" Erek asked with a long-suffering sigh. "He's wasting all my loonies."

"Well, if _someone_ didn't suddenly get a craving for a Double-Teen Burger with an extra large fries and pop…"

"Shut up. I'm a growing boy."

"Who doesn't need food," I finished with a chuckle. "Lame excuse, Erek."

"You're one to talk. I'm pretty sure I saw you walking to the table with a tub of Chubby Chicken-" His speech halted abruptly. "Uh oh, here comes trouble," he whispered to me.

I looked up in time to see Daemon Kuglin wave at us and start walking over to our station. I cringed. Daemon was 21, and a junior in college, but both Erek and I knew him pretty well. His mom worked with both our dads, and we had hung out with him on several staff picnics.

"Erek, hey," he greeted once he was near enough. "Haven't seen you in awhile, how's it going, man?"

_Nice to see you, too, Daemon. I'm fine, thanks for asking,_ I thought acidly, before remembering all he saw of me was a hologram of a random teenage boy. Which was a good thing, because if he actually saw me, he would definitely recognize me. Which would be a very _bad_ thing.

Erek shrugged. "Pretty good, I guess," he replied, looking nervously at Ax. The Andalite had acquired a kid we had met in the mall, a guy from our school, actually. Landon, I think his name was.

"You 'guess'?" Daemon repeated, laughing. "No stories for me?"

"Nope," was all Erek said.

Daemon seemed a little put off at that. "Uh, well that's cool. So, who're your friends?"

Erek froze. "Um."

"I'm David," I answered, trying rough up my voice a bit so he wouldn't recognize it. David was my middle name, so I figured I'd be safe with that. I jabbed a thumb at Ax. "He's… um, Jake."

_Smooth move, Tobias._ I winced inwardly. A common enough name, but I had to admit I'd been thinking about Jake Berenson when I'd come up with it.

"So, what are you doing here, Daemon?" Erek asked politely. "Shouldn't you be off doing whatever it is you do in college?"

"History major," he supplied. "And I'm actually here with my mom. It's my dad's birthday next week, and we're trying to pick out a present for him." He made a face. "Yeah, I know, 21 years old and still shopping with Mommy. What about you guys?"

I sighed. "Video games."

"Garbage-worship."

Daemon gave us an odd look. "Oookay. Well, is it okay if I hang out with you guys till my mom's done paying for stuff?"

_No_, I thought, groaning inwardly. That would just not do.

"Wouldn't that cramp your style?" Erek asked a little desperately. "You know, a college guy hanging out with a couple of eighth-graders?"

He gave a little shrug. "Nah, can't really get any worse than cruising down the men's tighty-whiteys section in Wal-Mart with a middle-aged woman, can it?"

"Your mom wants to buy underwear for your dad's birthday?" I asked blankly.

"She's an odd woman. So, 's it all right?"

Erek sighed. "Well, I guess we can stand hanging around you for a few. Want to donate a couple loonies to the cause of teaching… uh, Jake here how to play?"

Daemon grinned. "Sure. College kids are just made of money, you know."

About an hour and a half later, having Daemon hang around became kind of a problem. See, Ax was getting closer and closer to the point where he needed to demorph, and unfortunately having Erek put a hologram around him so he could do it right here wouldn't really work, since there was always some static whenever the android put up a new hologram. Erek blamed it on his 'old age.'

Ax had no idea where the bathroom was, so either Erek or I would have to show him.

And since I was within Erek's hologram, that meant we'd both have to go. If we both went, that meant Daemon would want to tag along, and that would just Not Be A Good Idea.

"Um, so I need to go to the bathroom," Erek told Daemon uneasily. "Wanna watch the kids till I get back?"

"Me, too," I piped up. "I mean, I have to go to the bathroom, too. And so does Jake. Don't you, Jake?"

Ax gave me a strange look. "Yes," he agreed slowly. "Yes-SUH. I also have need of the facilities."

I could have smacked my head at his wording. What kind of 14-year-old kid said 'facilities'?

Daemon stared blankly at us. "What is this, the Potty Parade? If you don't want to hang out with me, just say so. I can take a hint," he said, sounding a little hurt.

"No, that's not it," I said, cringing inwardly. "We just have… uh, a little problem we have to deal with."

"What, did you all get simultaneous periods?"

Erek glared. "No," he replied hotly. "It's just…, um, it's hard to explain."

"Well you don't have to-"

"Daemon! There you are!" A shrill female voice broke into our conversation. We all turned to see a plump, middle-aged woman making her way toward our little gang. "Lord, I've been looking all over for you. Where have you been?"

Daemon scowled. "I did text you, Mom."

"Well, you know I'm not as fast as you kids with your technological mumble-jumble. Say, who are your little friends?"

"Hey, Sherry," Erek greeted easily. I barely managed to stop myself from saying, "Hello, Mrs. Kuglin," right along with him.

Her eyes widened. "Erek! Why, I haven't seen you since the sun started burning! How's it going? How's your father doing?"

He smiled. "Well, you'd probably know that better than me, Sherry. You do work with him, after all."

She chuckled at that. "Well, I s'pose you're right. But you, how have you been doing?" she asked, looking at him intently. "I heard Tobias moved away. You taking that okay?"

Erek shifted uncomfortably. "Um, I guess," he offered, sparing me a glance. I grinned, seeing the fun I could have with this.

"Oh, he took it terribly. You could hear him crying for miles," I said with a smirk.

Inside the hologram, Erek-the-android hissed, "Shut up. She could be a Controller."

I shut up then.

"And who might you be?" Sherry asked me. I panicked for a minute, realizing she was addressing me directly now.

"I'm T- I mean, David," I muttered lamely, kicking at an empty pop can on the floor. They really needed to clean this place, I decided.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, David. And who is-"

"That's Jake," Erek answered quickly before Ax could say anything. "He's new to town."

"Hello. Huh-LOH," Ax greeted absently, fiddling with the controls on the game station.

Sherry looked at him oddly, then smiled. "And a pleasure to meet you as well, Jake," she said. "You know, if you really are new to town, I know this program that can help you out. Erek's a member, I think. It's called-"

"The Sharing," Erek interrupted. "Yeah, he's been there a couple times. Not really a huge fan." He smiled. "I know- it's hard to believe, right?"

Ax seemed to hesitate, then tugged at Erek's shirt. "Um, Erek, can we…"

"Oh, right," Erek said, sounding relieved. "We need to show Jake where the bathroom is. It's been nice talking to you again, Sherry. I guess we'll see you guys later." He gave a little wave.

I leaned closer to Erek as we left. "She's a Controller, then, right?" I whispered.

"Yeah," he replied, not looking at me.

"That kind of sucks. My dad likes her."

"Mine, too." He grinned at me suddenly. "I think we did pretty good back there, don't you?"

"Oh yes," I replied. "Ax, what do you think?"

Ax didn't answer, simply looked back at Sherry and Daemon's retreating backs. "A Controller," he said slowly. "That woman was a Controller?"

Both Erek and I nodded. "Look, forget about it," I told him. "All we care right now is that we find you a place to demorph. Right now you have about…" I looked to Erek. "Say ten minutes?"

"9 of your minutes and 32 of your seconds," Ax replied distractedly.

"Sure. Now let's-"

Erek suddenly grabbed my wrist. "Don't say anything," he hissed. "Daemon's following us."

* * *

**A/N: Hey, I updated in like a week this time! Aren't you guys proud of me?**

**Something's gone screwy with this story, I think. Two of my chapters have randomly deleted themselves. I'm going to try to find out what's wrong, but it may take awhile.**

**As for this chapter, I'm sorry nothing really happened in it. It is essential to the story, however, as it introduces Daemon and reintroduces Sherry. Sherry has been a background character in several chapters: chapters 2, 4, 5 and 16. **

**Please R&R!  
**


	21. Hurt

_Erek's POV_

"Don't look around," I ordered quietly. "We're just going to have to go into the bathroom and have Ax demorph and remorph as fast as he can."

I closed my eyes, head throbbing with anger. Damn him! What was so suspicious about us that he had to follow us? I had held the hologram perfectly, had perfectly matched Tobias's lip movement. And Ax hadn't done anything particularly strange- for a teenage boy, anyway. So why was he following us?

Tobias bumped my arm. "Erek," he said in a hushed tone, "He's far enough away that he won't see. Why don't you put up the hologram now?"

"Because other people will see," I replied curtly, grinding my teeth in frustration. That was the problem with holographic technology- you had to use it very carefully nowadays. Back in Moses' time, you could show as much static as you wanted, and the people automatically deemed you a god. But now...

"Come on," I told them, "We're just going to have to put it up once we reach the bathroom. No, no, don't run, just walk normal, okay?"

Ax stared straight ahead, every muscle in his body tensed to the max. I could only imagine what he felt like. An Andalite without his tail is like a Chee without a hologram. Naked, useless, and scared stiff.

We finally reached the bathroom door with Daemon right on our heels. Ah, the human bathroom. A place of quiet and much relief. I pushed it open forcefully, leading the others in. A quick look around proved the room empty.

"Okay," I said breathlessly, (a human habit I'd been forced to pick up,) "Just give me a second to memorize your human form and-"

The bathroom door burst open, revealing a tall, blue-eyed brunette young man.

Daemon.

Oh, crap.

"Erek, Mom wants me to ask you if you knew where Tobias had moved to. She wants to give Mr. Fangor a-" he paused abruptly. "What?"

Tobias had shoved Ax in the direction of the wheelchair stall, looking nervously at Daemon. "Um, nothing," he muttered, scuffing his shoes against the bathroom tiles.

"Do I have something on my face?"

(Erek! Tobias! I have approximately 2 of your minutes left in morph! What do you want me to do?)

I bit my lip. Crap, crap, crap. This was bad. This was really, really bad.

(Tap your foot once if I should demorph, twice if I should stay.)

Daemon looked at me, brows knitting. "Erek?"

I hesitated. Then, very deliberately tapped my shop against the floor. Once.

If he demorphed quietly enough, we might be able to get away with it. On the other hand, if he didn't demorph at all...

I didn't want to have that on my conscience.

I closed my eyes. Okay. Okay, focus. Daemon. Had to distract him. Had to keep him from noticing Ax.

"Sorry, Daemon," I said easily, keeping my voice masked of unease. "Actually, you do have something on your face. Here, let me-"

The stall doors began to rattle. I froze. _Dammit!_

Daemon turned. "You okay in there, buddy?" he asked, laughing.

No response, just the sound of hooves tapping against slick bathroom tiles.

"What's happening in there?" Daemon wondered, looking confused. He rapped a knuckled against the door. "Hey, Jake, you alright?"

"He's fine," Tobias blurted. "Just give him a minute."

A tail-blade crashed against the ceiling. _No, no, no, no..._

Daemon frowned. Then his eyes widened. "Andalite?" he whispered incredulously.

And then he was shoving me against the wall, hot human breath in my ear. "Alright, kid, talk and talk now. Where did you find that Andalite? Answer me, or you'll be answering my little friend here in a second," he murmured dangerously, sliding a jackknife out of his back pocket.

I swallowed. A little knife like that couldn't do anything to me, but to Tobias...

"Don't touch him."

Slowly, Daemon turned to look at the blond behind him.

Tobias stood there, eyes wide, hands clenched into fists. "Don't touch him," he repeated slowly. "You may be able to take on a little eighth-grader, but I'm guessing you_ really_ don't want to have to deal with _two_ Andalite War-Princes. Leave him alone, or me and my buddy will take you on." His eyes narrowed. "And believe me, if that happens, they'll be hearing your screams all the way back to the Yeerk Empire."

Daemon seemed to consider this. Then, very slowly, he took a step back and pocketed the knife. He looked from Tobias, to me, to Ax still demorphing in the stall. A pause, as if he were about to say something.

Then he ran.

I pushed myself upright, staring at Tobias in awe. This was the kid who couldn't deal with people, who- unless I was there to protect him- had bullies picking on him left and right. I licked my lips. "Where... uh, where did that come from?"

Tobias just shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Dunno."

"Erek, Tobias, I have completed the morph," Ax announced, pushing open the stall door. "Morph. Moooor. Fuh."

I sighed. "Well, this is going to be fun," I muttered.

"What do you mean?" Tobias asked, looking confused.

"I mean our friend Daemon has probably already alerted security about us," I explained tiredly, moving to help Ax put on the shirt we had bought him. "Security has guns. We have to get out of here as fast as we can."

Tobias hesitated, then nodded. "We'll manage," he said steadily, but his eyes were afraid.

I wished I could be as confident as he sounded.

o0o0o0o

"There they are! The Andalites! Get them, you fools!"

I cursed under my breath, catching Ax's arm has he stumbled, unused to his human morph. "Come on!"

We tore through the busy mall, weaving our way through crowds in hopes of losing the Controllers after us. It was no use.

"Tobias!" Ax shouted, spinning mid-step. A Controller was reaching around the human's neck, putting a gun to his head.

"Don't move, kid. Tell your little friends to stop, or this is going right through your skull."

Tobias struggled in the man's arms, to no avail. "Erek, help!"

I froze, not knowing what to do.

Another Controller, behind me. He grabbed my holographic arms, twisted them around my back.

I could break free of him easily. I could.

But... Tobias.

Ax tripped, hands barely managing to break his fall. A dark-skinned man pushed him down, placing hand-cuffs around his wrists. To his left, Tobias ceased struggling

I sagged in my captor's arms, meeting my friend's eyes. We were done.

o0o0o0o

TSSSEEEWWW!

I cried out as the Dracon beam pierced through the forcefields, grazing me beneath. The hologram dropped, unable to keep stable with my injuries. Tobias blinked, staring at his hands.

"A hologram?" I heard a voice ask distantly. "But it can't be! I felt the kid himself! He was definitely human!"

"It doesn't matter, does it?" a gruffer voice replied. "The Visser won't care either way."

Tobias, kneeling, placed a hand on my arm. "Erek?" he whispered worryingly.

I forced myself to stand, gave a weak smile. "I'm fine," I muttered. "Just... ah, give me a sec." I took a moment to look at our surroundings.

We were in a small room surrounded by blank white walls. In front of us, there was a transparency, but all we could see out of it was blackness and several faceless shapes.

The human stepped back, watching me with concern. "They took Ax," he informed me quietly. "I don't know where."

I started to reply, but just then a booming thought-speak voice filled the room.

(So, what do we have here?) An Andalite stepped into view, seeming to be self-lit in the darkness. I recognized him immediately as Visser Three, the Abomination of the Yeerk race. (It seems the human boy was lying when he claimed to be an Andalite; we have had him thoroughly tested.) His main eyes narrowed. (As for you,) he continued, looking at me, (We are not quite sure what you are.)

Tobias pulled himself to his feet. "Leave him alone," he said, trying to sound brave.

The Visser seemed about to retort, but suddenly his main eyes widened and he took a step toward Tobias. (What is your name, human?) he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing you need to know," Tobias scorned.

Visser Three seemed to consider this. (Well, no matter,) he murmured. (If we can't get you to tell us nicely, we have other ways of... debriefing you.)

A Controller. They were going to make him a Controller. I tensed, stuck on the thought. "Tobias, listen to him," I said without thinking. "Tell him what he wants to know."

Tobias stared at me. "Erek-"

"I said listen to him!" I raised my voice, frustrated. And I was suddenly seeing a vision of three months ago, in a similar situation. Me, demanding something of Tobias that didn't make sense to him. Tobias, following my orders unquestioningly.

He doesn't trust me, I realized sadly. He still doesn't trust me.

Tobias drew a breath. "All right, Yeerk," he nearly spat. "What do you want to know?"

The Visser smiled. (Now there's a good boy,) he said patronizingly. He took a step toward him. A pause, then he withdrew a paper from a pouch around his neck. (Do you see this picture?) he asked. I had to lean closer to see it.

It was a picture of Loren and Tobias, standing in the parking lot outside the Community Service building. A grainy shot, taken obviously from a cheap security camera. I closed my eyes, remembering.

That was the day Loren had overheard the Yeerks talking. The day Tobias and her had been threatened by Yeerk Controllers. The day I had changed their lives forever.

(Who is the woman, Tobias?) the Visser asked softly. (What is her name?)

Tobias swallowed. "Erek?"

"Tell him, Tobias," I advised him. If the Yeerks had taken Ax, there was no point in hiding anything. What difference could a simple name make?

He turned back to the Visser. "Her name is Loren," he answered grudgingly. "Loren Fangor."

The Andalite Controller froze. Then his whole face seemed to light up with glee.

(Loren?) he asked, main eyes arching into a terrifying smile. (Well, well, well, isn't this a surprise! I had thought I had killed her myself, that day, but it seems now I get the chance to make her truly suffer!)

"Wh- what are you talking about?" Tobias demanded. His eyes flashed angrily. "How do you know her?"

But the Visser said nothing. (You may take over now, Taylor,) he said absently. (I know you enjoy this sort of thing much more than I.)

A beautiful young woman appeared from the shadows, also seeming suddenly self-lit. "Of course, Visser," she said cheerfully. "We've already tried our methods on the android; he seems resistant to them, unfortunately. But the human boy should be a lot of fun."

I caught my breath. No, no they wouldn't-

"Come on, human." And suddenly Tobias was gone, his final expression of terror imprinting in my mind.

I pressed my forehead against the transparency, not minding the sudden shock waves that prickled through my arms. _Tobias..._

o0o0o0o

Nearly four hours later, Tobias was returned. He sat stiffly beside me, lips pressed tightly together. He refused to speak.

I immediately went to work on taking care of his injuries, as much as I could. To my relief, there were very few, just a couple of bruises here and there.

But as I met my friend's eyes, that relief turned to dread.

"We have to get out of here, Erek," he whispered finally, voice catching on the words. "We have to."

* * *

**A/N: So, yeah, there was a major plot hole there, I know, but in this universe let's pretend there are limitations on Erek's hologram**, **for the sake of the story, ne? I'm such a terrible author.*hides***


	22. Kept

To: Esplin 9466 (aka That Jerk Who Calls Himself My Boss)

Re: You Bastard

From: cutie3fruity (aka Your Worst Nightmare)

* * *

My name is Taylor.

Well, no, duh, that's not my real name – but it sounds pretty nice, and feels good in my human mouth. It's my host's name, if you must know. Taylor English. We prefer to go by it; and by 'we' I mean me, myself and I, of course.

None of this really matters, I just happen to be particularly awesome and it's a thing that should be known before I document these next few paragraphs. Especially seeing as I'll probably be dead before anyone truly understands my worth. Life's a bitch like that.

Anyway, if you're reading this, Visser Three, I hope you realize just what I'm putting myself through for you. I deserve to be promoted two times over for this. No, scratch that, _ten _times over. In fact, I deserve to be of a rank higher than you, and before you say anything about cutting my head off for that, you'd better sit your smelly Andalite ass down and listen to what I have to say.

I'd just finished interrogating the human boy, you see – what was his name again? Toby? Tori? – I don't know. Something girly. And I was in a pretty spankin' good mood. You know how 'talking' to people gives me that warm feeling in my human heart, right? Anyway, I was strolling my way down the corridor that connects the main meeting room in The Sharing to the lobby, when who do I come across? That's right, Sherry Kuglin.

You probably know her better as Alkahr 5901. Or maybe, though it's hard for you to admit, as that Yeerk whom most of us see parading around with a red streak through her head, loudly proclaiming _Failure._ The woman who single-handedly nearly brought the Yeerk Empire to its knees, simply because she was unable to expose a few turncoat Yeerks who are apart of that nasty organization, the Yeerk Peace Movement.

You'd recently given me an assignment to babysit this pathetic Yeerk. But, as you probably might have guessed, I'm not very good with kids.

"Sherry!" I exclaimed. "Imagine meeting _you_ in a place like this!"

Alkahr, Sherry, whatever you choose to call her, jerked her eyes to the floor. I'm sure it was an automatic gesture for her by now. Closing in on the woman, I clapped a firm hand on her shoulder.

"I'm told that you were the one who rang in the booty this time around," I continued. "And wow, what loot! An Andalite, a weird robot with technology yet un-seen, and a human boy who happens to have some sort of weird relationship with the Visser. Good job!"

Talyor – my host, that is, not I – used to tell me that complimenting those lesser than you is best way to make friends. I didn't particularly want to be friends with Sherry, but sarcasm is another popular human trait, and it can serve the same purpose.

Sherry's eyes did not leave the ground.

I leaned in a little closer, so she could feel my breath on her neck. "But you know," I went on, "you really _weren't _supposed to be acting on your own. I'm in charge of you… remember?"

Sherry nodded. "Of course, sub-visser 51."

"Good," I grinned. Then I slapped her. Good and hard, right on the cheek. You would be proud, Visser. "Then _don't _pull a stunt like this without informing me _ever again_. Got it?"

I'll be the first to admit, I love attention. So much, in fact, that very soon I'll literally be _dying _for it. And if Sherry hadn't gone off on her own and captured those little alien punks by herself, then _I _would have been the one who got the credit for it.

She should have told me first. It was unfair.

After a moment of dwelling on this unfairness, I realized she had yet to respond. Frowning, I rapped at her forehead. "Sherry? Hel-looo, anybody home?"

She winced a little, then glared up at me defiantly. It was cute.

"I'm a loyal Yeerk, sub-visser," she informed me quietly. "Just as loyal as any of you. And I'd like to be treated as such."

I laughed. "_You're_ demanding respect, you little cunt? After what happened with the Yeerk Peace Movement –"

"What happened with the Yeerk Peace Movement was a mistake. It won't happen again. _Believe me,_ it won't."

I peered at her curiously. I had to admit, my interest was piqued. I'd never seen this side of Alkahr before.

"What on earth's gotten into you, Sherry?" I wondered. "And here I'd always thought you were so shy and timid, and maybe a bit of a pansy. But you do have a backbone, after all."

Sherry didn't say anything to that out loud, but her eyes were saying, "_you'd better believe it._" She placed her hands on her hips. "I have far more power than you'd ever _dream _of, sub-visser," she hissed.

I couldn't help it – I laughed again. "Oh, do you?" I managed between snickers. "Do tell."

I kept giggling as Sherry lifted her little double-chinned head in a lofty glare. "I happen to be a direct informant of the Council of Thirteen, in fact, and I'm posing as a spy to Visser One. So _don't _get cocky with me, child."

Here, I'll admit, my jaw may or may not have dropped a little. _Wait, what? _I thought, and a little voice in the back of my head that might have been me, might have been Taylor, whispered, _it's not fair._

"You're kidding, right?" I demanded once I'd found my voice.

Sherry shrugged. "'Fraid not. And I because I know your greedy little hands are already craving information to take back to your master, I'll also tell you this: Visser One is coming back to Earth _right this instant. _Do you know why?" I didn't shake my head, but Sherry went on anyway. "Because a little birdie may or may not have told the Council of Thirteen that Visser Three has Andalites under his nose, and Visser One is the one who discovered them."

"You're – wow, I'm not sure if I should call you a back-stabbing bitch or amazing, Sherry," I breathed. "That's-that's _genius_. So your master takes the credit, and mine takes the fall. And you've been planning this the whole time? That's why you offered to go and find Elfangor yourself."  
"And that's not all," Sherry added smugly. "I happen to know certain… _secrets_ that concern both Vissers, and I plan to reveal them once the dust settles. Then I'll be given back my rank for sure." She winked at me. "Who knows? Maybe the next time we speak, I'll be _your_ boss."

I think I slapped her again. I don't particularly recall. Then I raced back to the main computer room to write you this message. I'm sure Sherry has already arranged with Visser One to have me killed so I don't go spilling anymore secrets, but I thought I might as well try. Last-ditch effort, you know? Whatever.

I'm about to die for you, you jerk, just because I'm the best, most loyal Yeerk who ever served you. You're welcome, bastard. Sayonara.

* * *

A/N: hah

ha h a hah eh

heh


	23. Forgotten

_[Elfangor]_

* * *

Work.

Work.

Work.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed my job. Fiddling with things was basically my entire life summed up in a handful of words, and I was good at it. I enjoyed the people I worked with, the fragile, spiky way human computer chips felt in my hands. I enjoyed the smell of the air and the feeling of the cool breeze drifting in through my office window to rustle the hair on my neck.

I liked working.

But I liked being with my family even more.

Tobias and I – we'd formed a strange sort of wary camaraderie, in the months we'd been trapped in the Chee cave. It was different from the relationship we'd shared before. I wasn't sure it was for the better, either, but… it was alright. Not-quite-steady, but I was beginning to think this was the road we would have trodden whether I'd revealed my true self or not. Teenagers are very strange, after all, in any race.

And Loren… well, we hadn't spoken much. There wasn't much to say.

But things were alright. They were getting better. At least, that's how I felt.

These were the things I was thinking to myself as I'd walked up the steps to the King's house that day. I was smiling, I recall. My arms were swinging, and the wind was tousling my hair just slightly. I knocked on the door, as was polite.

No one answered. Probably down in the cave, I thought.

Shrugging, I opened the door with my key and let myself in. The TV was on – when wasn't it? – and there was a box of Oreos sitting out on the counter, which I helped myself to. They were very good.

I made my way down to the cave.

It was a poor decision on my part.

Loren was sitting with a Chee woman called Lourdes, speaking about some show they'd seen on television. Neither looked up when I stepped into the park, but then, that was to be expected. I walked over to them, placed a gentle hand on Loren's shoulder.

"Hello, Loren," I said softly. "Do you know where Tobias is?"

Loren shrugged, her shoulders convulsing under my hand. "Sorry, Al – El. Fangor. Agh. Elfangor," she corrected herself. "Sorry. Old habits, I guess."

I nodded. (Who cared that once she'd had trouble remembering to call me by my human name rather than my true one, after all?) "He's probably off somewhere with Erek, or Aximili," I sighed. "I'll go find them."

Now, what happened next, I'll explain very quickly, because while it happened over the course of twenty minutes, it can really be summed up in two short sentences:

I was unable to find Tobias.

I – well, to borrow the human phrase, I… 'freaked out'.

I spent the next several minutes darting about the park, searching frantically. Finally, I found Kevin.

"Have you seen Tobias?" I demanded. "Or Erek, or Ax, for that matter?"

Kevin's holographic eyes widened. "I – no. I assumed that Erek had gone out, but Tobias… and young Aximili, too?"

"Find them," I ordered. "Oh gods, what if they get captured? What if – what if –"

A cool hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Mr. King gazing at me, concern etched in the lines on his face.

"Calm down, Elfangor," he told me. "We'll find your son. And your brother."

Then those warm, concerned eyes closed, and I knew he was accessing the Chee-net.

* * *

_Erek?_

_Dad! I-I mean, uh…_

_It's alright, Erek, I understand. Where are you? Where's Tobias?_

_We got ourselves into kind of a jam, Kevin. I'm sorry._

_No time for that now. Where are you? We'll come find you._

_I… I don't think it's going to be that easy._

* * *

Kevin's eyes flew open. For a brief moment, the hand on my shoulder clenched.

"Alright," he said. "Now, we freak out."

Well, no use denying the old man's wise orders.

After a brief session I've come to learn is called a 'panic attack', Kevin explained to me what had happened. The boys had been captured by Yeerks. Aximili was missing, and Tobias – Tobias was…

"Interrogation," I murmured bitterly. "If the Yeerks use the word the same way Andalites do…"

"I'm sorry, Elfangor," was all Kevin could say.

I felt like screaming.

We'd moved to the living room upstairs, for better 'service', I suppose (though I doubted very much that where you were located had any bearing on Pemalite technology.) Loren was sitting curled up on the couch, but I was pacing restlessly across the carpeted floor.

"There's got to be something," I kept muttering to myself. "Something we can do…"

There was a sudden knock on the door. Three heads flung up, six pairs of eyes darted to the source of the sound.

Warily, Kevin stood, made his way over to the door. Opened it slowly.

A young man stood there, looking about in his late twenties. He had a smile that was full of bright, white teeth, and brown hair curled just over his eyes. He seemed… harmless, completely and utterly. I narrowed my eyes as he reached out a hand in greeting.

Cautiously, Kevin took it, frowning slightly. "I'm sorry, but – who are you?"

"Name's Yohau 4798, but you can call me Greg," said Greg. He was still smiling, but suddenly all I wanted to do was smack that grin off his sick face.

_Yeerk,_ I thought, and there was a burning I'd never felt before wrapped around that one word.

_Yeerk scum._

"What are you doing here?" I spat. "Where's Tobias? Where's my son?"

The smile didn't waver. "Oh, you're son's doing just fine, Mr… Fangor, I presume? Barely a bruise on the kid. The Andalite, on the other hand… ooh." He gave a slight shudder. "Not doing so hot. He's the one who lead me here, actually." A tap on the side of his head. "You'd be surprised what secrets a little Andalite _aristh_ has floating around his brain."

"You son of a bitch," I snarled, but he raised a hand.

"Ah ah ah! I come in peace. The Andalite's long gone – _like _we're going to give something like that away – but the kids? They're nothing to us. So here's my proposal." Greg's little brown eyes squinted upwards. "We give up these pathetic little human boys, in exchange."

"In exchange for what?" I asked, though I knew the answer. I was still an Andalite, albeit a worn and beaten one. The Yeerks would _kill_ just to look at one of us.

But Greg's beady little eyes flicked from me to –

– Loren, her knees still cradled up against her chest on the couch.

"What?" she asked after a moment, probably wondering why everything had fallen silent all of a sudden.

"Oh, no," I said. "No way. No way in _hell _are you taking Loren –"

Loren frowned. "Me?"

" – she's not even a suitable host body," I continued desperately. "You can't take her!"

Something in Loren's blank, unseeing eyes darkened then. Hardened. Slowly, she stood.

"Wait," she said in a quiet voice. "Are you saying… you guys want _me _in exchange for Tobias?"

"At last, somebody gets it!" Greg exclaimed.

"You want me," Loren said again, "in exchange for _my son_."

"Yuppers!"

Loren didn't even flinch. "I'll do it."

"Like _hell_ you will," I stressed.

"Oh, come on, Al, it's our only chance!"

"Our only chance to what? Get you killed?"

"At least I'll be useful then!"

"You're useful right where you are, right now, and _you're staying here."_

Greg glanced from me, to Loren, and back to me again. I didn't pity him. "Oooookay," he said finally. "Obviously you two have some issues to work out, which I totally vote not to be apart of. Uh, let me know when you've come to… an agreement, I guess?" He looked up at Kevin, winked. "Call me," he added. And then he was out the door quicker than a Garatron on fire.

I turned back to Loren. "You are _not_ doing this," I said again, for good measure.

"Um, Elfangor, in case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty sure I am."

"Loren," I pleaded, "this is an obvious trap. Why do you think they'd want you – that is – uh…"

"I'm blind, so I'm useless, right?" Loren sniffed. "Because I've never seen what flowers look like, never seen a car, never seen your face, I have no point?"

"Loren, that's not what I –"

"Yes, it totally _is_ what you're saying, Alan!" Loren exploded. "Look, ever since… ever since I can remember, you've treated me like a child. Like I'm – like I'm _fragile_. You wouldn't help me get a job, or help people, or _do _something with my life… why? Because you're scared I'll overtake you or something?"

"No, of course not," I whispered, and there was that desperation again, creeping into my voice. I shoved it down angrily. Now was not the time to be weak. I had to be strong, for her.

"Then why?" she demanded. "I've been hanging out with Lourdes a lot lately, and she's shown me that there are more things I could do than I ever dreamed of. But you… you've held me back, and I don't understand _why._" She spread her hands. "Look at me, Elfangor. _Look at me_, if having vision's so great. What do you see? Because you know what I _see_ in front of me? I see a big fat coward, who's too afraid of losing what he's had that he can't see what's right in front of him.

"I can smell the flowers, you know. I can feel them in my fingers. They're beautiful, and I don't need to see them to know that. I can hear the sound of an engine revving in a car, can feel the motor burning under my feet. And I can feel_ you,_ Elfangor, even if I can never ever see you!"

Loren lurched forward suddenly, and then her hands were on my face, her fingers cool and gentle against my skin. I shuddered slightly beneath them. I felt as if I might break.

"…You're crying," she said after a moment.

Slowly, carefully, I reached up, intertwined my fingers with hers. "Loren," I said, "I'm so sorry. I wish you could know how useful you are, right here, right now. You see," – and I lowered our hands to our sides – "I'm selfish. I _know_ you could do so much, could help so many people. Gods know I know that. But… you're useful right here, right now, because if you stay here, then you're still alive, and if you're still alive, then I – I'm still alive, too." I'm stupid. I'm so, so stupid. Here I was, treating her like… like she was a child, yes, like I was raising her as well as Tobias. She was a grown woman. She wasn't my daughter, she was my _beloved_ – and oh, that term felt so strange to think after so long.

I'd always loved her and always would.

But I hadn't kissed her since the accident.

Her hands were on my face again, on my lips, like mine had been on hers so many times before. And she was small and tiny and fragile, but she was also very strong, and her lips against mine were strong and so very, very brave.

"Let me do this, Elfangor," she breathed. "Let me save _our son._"

How long since there had been a thing that was ours?

How long since I had cared?

"Alright," I found myself muttering. "Alright. But you'll need a weapon."

"She could take a Chee with her," Kevin mused. He was sitting on the couch watching TV on mute, and looked totally unaffected by the emotionally-draining drama that had just took place. That was aliens for you, I guessed.

Loren shook her head. "They have Erek, remember? Pemalite technology. How much you want to bet they've at least managed to figure out how your holograms work by now?"

"They couldn't figure something like that out so quickly," Kevin scoffed. Then his eyes dimmed. "But then again… they may be able to see _through_ one of our holograms now, so I suppose that doesn't offer very much protection."

"Plus, what if you get in a fight?" I added worryingly. "A Chee would never harm a Yeerk. No, don't take one of them, they'll only end up being a hindrance."

I bit my lip. What else, what else…

Oh!

"The morphing cube," I murmured. "Ax left it here! It's a risk, though," I added, suddenly remembering the spazzes and pain I had gone through since Aximili had given it to me. "If I give it to you, you must promise to use it only under the most extreme circumstances. Find something small to morph, and stay in that form until the danger passes."

Loren nodded. Her eyes were very bright.

"I'll be right behind you," I added in a whisper. "I promise."

Loren drew a shaky, shuddering breath. "I know," she replied softly. "Let's do this."

* * *

A/N: Okay! So, who can guess what my new year's resolution was this year? Yeah, to get this fricking story out of my hair, hoooly. I also need to respond to a couple reviews and messages I've been receiving: Yes, I'm aware there's a chapter missing. Two, in fact. I really have no idea where they've gone off to, and while I know I have them saved on a flashdrive (I've had to switch computers in the last two years, whodda thunk), I'm not quite sure where that flashdrive is. I guess I just want to focus on getting this finished, and then I'll worry about fixing up mistakes. If anyone's still reading this, then wow I am so sorry for almost abandoning this story. I'll make it up, I swear.

Because I've uploaded two chapters in one night (woWOwOw), you may have missed the previous chapter. I suggest you go back and read that, too, especially since there's only five chapters left after this (+ epilogue). Cheers!


	24. Told

_[Elfangor]_

* * *

Kevin, to my chagrin, was still looking vaguely bored. "So, have we come to a decision, then?" he wondered. "Or are you guys going to make out again?"

I blushed despite myself, but Loren just grinned. "Maybe," she allowed. "Where's the morphing cube?"

Kevin disappeared for a second. Then he reappeared, and the box was in his hands. He handed it to Loren.

"Sorry," he said in aside. "We were keeping it in a secret place that we don't want the Yeerks to know about. If things go wrong…"

"They won't," said Loren confidently. Her fingers danced idly along the cube. "Oh," she murmured in a soft voice, half to herself. "That kind of… tickles. Hah, whoa."

She made a strange sound, then. A sound I hadn't heard in a long time.

It took me a moment to realize she was _laughing._

"That was… really weird," she said after a moment, and I had to agree with her. Then she grabbed her purse from the couch and slid the morphing cube in without another word.

Beside us, Kevin sighed. "I suppose I should go and find that nasty Yeerk again," I heard him mutter. Rolling his holographic eyes, he turned and walked across the carpet to open the door.

"You rang?" Greg sing-songed pleasantly.

He was standing in the doorway, that irksome grin still plastered across his face. I glared at him, somehow not surprised that he had stayed outside the whole time.

"I'll do it," Loren said, her voice strong and firm, and Greg nodded.

"I thought you might," he replied. "Well, come along, then. We don't want to make the Visser impatient."

I couldn't help it, I shuddered. I had been a child the last I'd seen a Visser. And he hadn't been a very pleasant one, to boot. He'd killed my friends and taken my captain hostage, had nearly erased both Loren and I from space-time entirely.

"Be careful," I muttered, but I don't think she heard me.

Loren reached out a hand, and Greg took it, and that was the last I saw of them for a very long time.

* * *

_[Loren]_

* * *

Greg's hand was large and firm in my own, and maybe a little too tight. It felt safe, but there was also a little bit of anger in that grip which made me a little nervous. The Controller led me down the steps and onto the sidewalk, and I wondered when the last time was that I had gone anywhere without Champ.

I felt… almost naked, without him. Exposed.

We walked down the sidewalk for a few minutes, and then Greg's hand left mine, and I heard the sound of a car door opening. I was seated in the back of what I think was a limo, and the seatbelt was handed to me. I guess the Yeerks think Safety First.

We drove for what felt like hours, what probably _was_ hours, and I found myself nodding off to sleep more than once. Finally, the car stopped, and my door was opened, and Greg's hand was in mine again.

He led me down what I can only assume were dark, spider-web-filled pathways until we came to an abrupt halt.

"Where are we?" I asked.  
"Where do you think?" he replied.

There was a sudden scream, then, and my whole body convulsed.

"_Tobias,_" I whispered.

That strong, firm hand on my shoulder again. "Go on in. Say hi to your kid."

I did as Greg said.

The first thing I was aware of on entering the room was that there was a low humming tickling the balls of my feet. And then there was a voice in my head that turned my bones to ice.

(Welcome, Loren. It's been awhile.)

Because the voice was in my head and not my ears, I had no idea where it coming from. I didn't move, didn't blink. But that voice was familiar, and I could feel it send shudders of cold down my arms and legs.

"I know you," I said aloud.

The voice chuckled. (And I, you. Tobias here has told us that you don't even remember what he looks like, let alone know what happened all those years ago. No, don't,) he added as I turned to where I had heard Tobias screaming just moments ago. (He can't hear or see you, anyway. He's quite unconscious, by now – Taylor has seen to that. We'll have him returned to your home immediately, if you wish.)

I glared, but what could I do about it? "What about Erek King?" I asked. "You said you would return him as well."

The voice let out another short laugh. (Of course we won't be returning the android. Do you think us stupid? But you can have your son back – that's what you wanted, isn't it?)

I hesitated. If we got Tobias out, Erek could probably break free on his own. Right? He had to be capable of that, at least.

But…

"We want the android, too," I said stubbornly. "We're not abandoning a friend."

(Alright,) the Visser agreed. (The android in exchange for the Andalite.)

I froze.

(We can't understand the android's technology, not in a million years. He's useless to us. But I know you, Loren. And I know the Andalite scum who's been clinging to you since you were babes. He's alive, isn't he?) The Visser placed a hand on my shoulder. It felt… strange, and cool, and slim. (Elfangor.)

"Why didn't you tell us that off the bat?" I demanded. "Why wait until I got here?"

(Because I know you, Loren,) the Visser repeated. (I know that you're brave, and noble, and I know that Elfangor is nothing but a coward. If it were up to him, he never would have let you come here, am I right? If it were up to him, he would never sacrifice the both of you to save a simple android.)

"He'd do it for Tobias," I whispered.

(Are you sure?)

He would, right? He was doing it right now. Me for Tobias. The thing that was _ours._

Our baby. Our son.

My choice.

"Alright," I found myself saying, before I could think. "Me and Elfangor, for Erek and Tobias. But you'd better keep your end of the deal, you stupid Yeerk."

(Of course,) the Visser said, and I could hear the grin in his voice.

Then he lifted his tail, and suddenly, all was black.

* * *

When I woke up, I was in another room entirely, and I could hear the sounds of someone's fists banging on glass. "_Loren, Loren!_" the voice was shouting. "_Loren! Mom, wake up! Please!_"

_I _am _awake,_ I thought groggily, and I was vaguely reminded of Tobias jumping on top of me on Christmas day.

Then I realized the voice _was_ Tobias, and I shot to a sitting position in a blink.

"Tobias?" I blurted.

"Loren!" Tobias shouted back.

There was the sound of a door opening, and then warm hands on my neck. "Are you alright?" he demanded.

I nodded. "Are you?"

There was a brief hesitation which I did not like at all.

"Yeah," said Tobias quietly. "I'm fine."

"Where's Erek?"

Tobias's hands left my neck for an instant. "He should be right behind –"

His voice dropped abruptly. "Tobias?" I pressed.

"Erek, what are you doing? Come on!" he said instead of answering me.

From further away, I heard the sound of someone struggling. Four someones, if my hearing was accurate.

"You go, Tobias," Erek was saying. I frowned. He didn't _sound _like he was struggling. But who else could it be? "I'm not going to be responsible for you losing both your mom _and_ dad."

"Erek, come on," Tobias pleaded. "They know where we are. I couldn't – I told them, okay? They'll come get Dad whether you come or not, okay? I need you, man. I – I don't have anyone else."

"Tobias –"

"Just shut up and go, Erek," I said. Blame games were fun when the blame was _exchanged_, not hoarded over like water in a desert. "Elfangor and I – I think he'd rather be here, anyway. So go. Please."

"Elfangor will be fine as long as he has Tobias. I'm staying here."

I could practically _hear_ the Visser throwing up his hands. (Stay, go, I don't care!) he exclaimed. (Just get it over with. You three are giving me a migraine.)

I stared at the floor.

I didn't need to do that. But, see, there were the beginnings of a plan working their way through my brain, and the movement was helping me think.

Think, think think.

How to save Elfangor. How to save Erek. How to save Tobias.

Think, think, think… ah.

"Tobias, come here," I said quietly, finally.

His hands were back on my shoulders in an instant. "What is it?"

"My purse. Take it."

"Why would I –"

"Because there's something inside it that's very special, Tobias." I pressed my forehead to his. "We'll get Erek back, I promise, but I need you to take the purse. And don't go home," I stressed before he could move to obey. "Find somewhere else to stay. But keep the purse, and don't mess up."

His fingers squeezed my skin tightly. "I won't, Mom."

"Good boy." I squeezed him back. "Now go!"

I could hear him stand. Then he was gone, and I was alone with the Visser and Erek.

(Well, now,) the Visser said in my mind. (It seems as though we've got some catching up to do, Loren.)


End file.
